2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Decatur, IL 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 Decatur, IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$126,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+26.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,805
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$8,076
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,271/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

Decatur, IL

COL 99.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,805
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,375
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,284
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,091
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $126,000
Federal Income Tax -$18,974
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,639
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $97,387
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $79,027

EPI family budgets put living costs 26.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Decatur, IL, so $100,000 in Decatur goes about as far as $126,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $857 a month in Decatur and $1,530 in Austin, $8,076 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,805 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,271 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,290 in Decatur 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 Decatur (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$857$1,530+$673+78.5%
Food & Groceries$334$334$00.0%
Transportation$1,006$1,062+$56+5.6%
Healthcare$602$467-$135-22.4%
Other Necessities$341$585+$244+71.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$1,735-$400-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$673/mo (78.5%)
Decatur: $857/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$726/mo (66.5%)
Decatur: $1,091/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.73/hr (26.0%)
Decatur: $22.04/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.28/hr (10.6%)
Decatur: $21.50/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 Decatur Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,120$117,850+$21,730 (+22.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$110,300$134,120+$23,820 (+21.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$87,170$97,890+$10,720 (+12.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,870$102,390-$480 (-0.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,720$83,120+$6,400 (+8.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,370$176,990+$48,620 (+37.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,880$151,760+$24,880 (+19.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$81,020$60,390-$20,630 (-25.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,250$167,180+$35,930 (+27.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,310$164,920+$35,610 (+27.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$103,690$106,600+$2,910 (+2.8%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$104,160$102,980-$1,180 (-1.1%)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

Decatur, IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $126,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.7 in Decatur, IL, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Decatur, IL
Relocation: Decatur, IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Decatur, IL 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 Decatur, IL?

About $126,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.7 in Decatur, 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 Decatur, IL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 26.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Decatur, IL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.