2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Columbia, MO 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 Columbia, MO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$134,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+34.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,852
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,182/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

Columbia, MO

COL 93.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,670
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,510
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,508
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,002
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $134,000
Federal Income Tax -$20,894
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,251
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $102,855
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $84,495

EPI family budgets put living costs 34.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Columbia, MO, so $100,000 in Columbia goes about as far as $134,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $959 a month in Columbia and $1,530 in Austin, $6,852 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,670 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,182 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,260 in Columbia 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 Columbia (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$959$1,530+$571+59.5%
Food & Groceries$368$334-$34-9.2%
Transportation$1,024$1,062+$38+3.7%
Healthcare$520$467-$53-10.2%
Other Necessities$329$585+$256+77.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,041$1,735-$306-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$571/mo (59.5%)
Columbia: $959/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$741/mo (68.9%)
Columbia: $1,076/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.05/hr (34.0%)
Columbia: $20.72/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.21/hr (21.5%)
Columbia: $19.57/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 Columbia Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$75,410$117,850+$42,440 (+56.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,020$134,120+$33,100 (+32.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,330$97,890+$13,560 (+16.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$80,870$102,390+$21,520 (+26.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$73,070$83,120+$10,050 (+13.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,700$176,990+$47,290 (+36.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$80,330$129,470+$49,140 (+61.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$100,800$151,760+$50,960 (+50.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$124,120$167,180+$43,060 (+34.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,500$60,390-$1,110 (-1.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,520$164,920+$45,400 (+38.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,870$106,600+$21,730 (+25.6%)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

Columbia, MO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $134,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.7 in Columbia, MO, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Columbia, MO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Columbia, MO
Relocation: Columbia, MO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

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

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

About $134,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.7 in Columbia, MO, 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 Columbia, MO?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 34.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Columbia, MO. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.