2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Colorado Springs, CO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, 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 Colorado Springs, CO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$110,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+10.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,692
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,800
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,892/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

Colorado Springs, CO

COL 114.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,692
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,488
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,560
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,928
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $110,100
Federal Income Tax -$15,392
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,423
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $86,285
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,925

EPI family budgets put living costs 10.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Colorado Springs, CO, so $100,000 in Colorado Springs goes about as far as $110,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,380 a month in Colorado Springs and $1,530 in Austin, $1,800 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,692 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,892 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $52,710 in Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,380$1,530+$150+10.9%
Food & Groceries$364$334-$30-8.2%
Transportation$1,015$1,062+$47+4.6%
Healthcare$439$467+$28+6.4%
Other Necessities$491$585+$94+19.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,043$1,735-$308-15.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$150/mo (10.9%)
Colorado Springs: $1,380/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$196/mo (12.1%)
Colorado Springs: $1,621/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.55/hr (10.1%)
Colorado Springs: $25.22/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.47/hr (-5.8%)
Colorado Springs: $25.25/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 Colorado Springs Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,770$117,850-$2,920 (-2.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,280$134,120-$160 (-0.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$96,140$97,890+$1,750 (+1.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$111,740$102,390-$9,350 (-8.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,000$83,120-$1,880 (-2.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$192,400$176,990-$15,410 (-8.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$110,090$129,470+$19,380 (+17.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$177,780$151,760-$26,020 (-14.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,210$60,390+$1,180 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$172,680$167,180-$5,500 (-3.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$117,850$106,600-$11,250 (-9.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,210$164,920-$7,290 (-4.2%)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

Colorado Springs, CO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $110,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (114.1 in Colorado Springs, CO, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Colorado Springs, CO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Colorado Springs, CO
Relocation: Colorado Springs, CO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Colorado Springs, CO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Colorado Springs, CO?

About $110,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (114.1 in Colorado Springs, CO, 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 Colorado Springs, CO?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 10.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Colorado Springs, CO. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.