2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Davenport-Moline, IA-IL 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$133,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+33.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,148
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$8,136
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,988/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

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

COL 94.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,148
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,032
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,224
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,808
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $133,200
Federal Income Tax -$20,702
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,190
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $102,308
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $83,948

EPI family budgets put living costs 33.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, so $100,000 in Davenport goes about as far as $133,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $852 a month in Davenport and $1,530 in Austin, $8,136 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,148 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,988 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,550 in Davenport 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$852$1,530+$678+79.6%
Food & Groceries$345$334-$11-3.2%
Transportation$1,031$1,062+$31+3.0%
Healthcare$483$467-$16-3.3%
Other Necessities$327$585+$258+78.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,997$1,735-$262-13.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$678/mo (79.6%)
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $852/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$761/mo (72.1%)
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $1,056/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.92/hr (33.2%)
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $20.85/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.60/hr (17.8%)
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $20.18/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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$91,140$117,850+$26,710 (+29.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$115,780$134,120+$18,340 (+15.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$77,150$97,890+$20,740 (+26.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,880$102,390-$490 (-0.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,600$83,120+$5,520 (+7.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$159,590$176,990+$17,400 (+10.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$110,640$129,470+$18,830 (+17.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,420$151,760+$23,340 (+18.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,950$60,390-$16,560 (-21.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$139,150$167,180+$28,030 (+20.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$141,300$164,920+$23,620 (+16.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,530$106,600+$13,070 (+14.0%)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

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $133,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.3 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
Relocation: Davenport-Moline, IA-IL to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Davenport-Moline, IA-IL 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL?

About $133,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.3 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 33.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.