2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$114,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+14.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,244
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,848
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$604/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, SC

COL 109.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,244
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,936
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,512
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,424
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $114,900
Federal Income Tax -$16,448
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,790
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $89,662
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $71,302

EPI family budgets put living costs 14.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Columbia, SC, so $100,000 in Columbia goes about as far as $114,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,126 a month in Columbia and $1,530 in Austin, $4,848 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,244 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $604 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,430 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)$1,126$1,530+$404+35.9%
Food & Groceries$348$334-$14-4.0%
Transportation$1,060$1,062+$2+0.2%
Healthcare$447$467+$20+4.5%
Other Necessities$438$585+$147+33.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,089$1,735-$354-16.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$404/mo (35.9%)
Columbia: $1,126/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$591/mo (48.2%)
Columbia: $1,226/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.61/hr (14.9%)
Columbia: $24.16/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.66/hr (12.6%)
Columbia: $21.12/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$103,950$117,850+$13,900 (+13.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,380$134,120+$10,740 (+8.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,920$97,890+$15,970 (+19.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,260$102,390+$17,130 (+20.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$69,210$83,120+$13,910 (+20.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$141,570$176,990+$35,420 (+25.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,650$151,760+$23,110 (+18.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$91,920$129,470+$37,550 (+40.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,250$106,600+$13,350 (+14.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$124,790$167,180+$42,390 (+34.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$60,390$0 (0.0%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$136,930$164,920+$27,990 (+20.4%)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, SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $114,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (109.2 in Columbia, SC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Columbia, SC 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, SC?

About $114,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (109.2 in Columbia, SC, 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, SC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 14.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Columbia, SC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.