2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: College Station, TX to Austin-Round Rock, TX

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from College Station-Bryan, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$124,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+24.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,676
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,676/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

College Station-Bryan, TX

COL 100.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,684
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,496
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $124,500
Federal Income Tax -$18,614
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,524
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,362
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $78,002

EPI family budgets put living costs 24.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in College Station-Bryan, TX, so $100,000 in College Station goes about as far as $124,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,057 a month in College Station and $1,530 in Austin, $5,676 a year more. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,676 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $44,470 in College Station and $56,950 in Austin.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category College Station-Bryan (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,057$1,530+$473+44.7%
Food & Groceries$314$334+$20+6.4%
Transportation$1,010$1,062+$52+5.1%
Healthcare$487$467-$20-4.1%
Other Necessities$419$585+$166+39.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$473/mo (44.7%)
College Station-Bryan: $1,057/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$666/mo (57.9%)
College Station-Bryan: $1,151/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.46/hr (24.5%)
College Station-Bryan: $22.31/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.71/hr (24.7%)
College Station-Bryan: $19.07/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector College Station-Bryan Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$87,910$117,850+$29,940 (+34.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,910$134,120+$32,210 (+31.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$83,090$97,890+$14,800 (+17.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$76,380$102,390+$26,010 (+34.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$71,810$83,120+$11,310 (+15.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,540$176,990+$41,450 (+30.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$88,500$129,470+$40,970 (+46.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$104,900$151,760+$46,860 (+44.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$48,410$60,390+$11,980 (+24.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$132,280$167,180+$34,900 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,780$164,920+$43,140 (+35.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$78,980$106,600+$27,620 (+35.0%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

College Station-Bryan, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $124,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.9 in College Station-Bryan, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

College Station-Bryan, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to College Station-Bryan, TX
Relocation: College Station, TX to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

College Station-Bryan, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: College Station, TX to Austin-Round Rock, TX compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in College Station-Bryan, TX?

About $124,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.9 in College Station-Bryan, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX cheaper than College Station-Bryan, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 24.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in College Station-Bryan, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.