2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Columbus, OH 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 Columbus, OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$117,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+17.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,208
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,273/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

Columbus, OH

COL 106.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$1,981
Local / City Tax -$2,500
Net Annual Take-Home $74,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,152
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,547
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $117,900
Federal Income Tax -$17,108
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,019
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $91,773
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $73,413

EPI family budgets put living costs 17.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Columbus, OH, so $100,000 in Columbus goes about as far as $117,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,346 a month in Columbus and $1,530 in Austin, $2,208 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,273 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,340 in Columbus 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 Columbus (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,346$1,530+$184+13.7%
Food & Groceries$355$334-$21-5.9%
Transportation$996$1,062+$66+6.6%
Healthcare$453$467+$14+3.1%
Other Necessities$453$585+$132+29.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,108$1,735-$373-17.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$184/mo (13.7%)
Columbus: $1,346/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$215/mo (13.4%)
Columbus: $1,602/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.22/hr (17.9%)
Columbus: $23.55/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.39/hr (6.2%)
Columbus: $22.39/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 Columbus Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,590$117,850+$15,260 (+14.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$83,900$97,890+$13,990 (+16.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$122,340$134,120+$11,780 (+9.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,660$102,390+$3,730 (+3.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$81,700$83,120+$1,420 (+1.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$167,630$176,990+$9,360 (+5.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$64,700$60,390-$4,310 (-6.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$90,010$106,600+$16,590 (+18.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,580$151,760+$13,180 (+9.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$145,630$167,180+$21,550 (+14.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,940$129,470-$470 (-0.4%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,520$126,110+$18,590 (+17.3%)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

Columbus, OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $117,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.5 in Columbus, OH, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Columbus, OH
Relocation: Columbus, OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Columbus, OH 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 Columbus, OH?

About $117,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.5 in Columbus, OH, 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 Columbus, OH?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 17.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Columbus, OH. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.