2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Detroit-Dearborn, MI 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$128,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+28.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,385
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,356
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,029/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

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

COL 97.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,999
Local / City Tax -$2,386
Net Annual Take-Home $72,795
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,004
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,791
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $128,200
Federal Income Tax -$19,502
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,807
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $98,891
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $80,531

EPI family budgets put living costs 28.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, so $100,000 in Detroit goes about as far as $128,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,167 a month in Detroit and $1,530 in Austin, $4,356 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,385 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,029 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $52,080 in Detroit 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,167$1,530+$363+31.1%
Food & Groceries$351$334-$17-4.8%
Transportation$973$1,062+$89+9.1%
Healthcare$366$467+$101+27.6%
Other Necessities$417$585+$168+40.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,267$1,735-$532-23.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$363/mo (31.1%)
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn: $1,167/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$358/mo (24.5%)
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn: $1,459/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.11/hr (28.2%)
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn: $21.66/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.29/hr (16.1%)
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn: $20.49/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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$104,010$117,850+$13,840 (+13.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,280$97,890+$610 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,760$134,120+$3,360 (+2.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$80,650$83,120+$2,470 (+3.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,350$102,390-$2,960 (-2.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$170,040$176,990+$6,950 (+4.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$160,240$167,180+$6,940 (+4.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$155,560$151,760-$3,800 (-2.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$81,990$60,390-$21,600 (-26.3%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$45,400$48,260+$2,860 (+6.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$107,560$129,470+$21,910 (+20.4%)View Dossier
Architectural and Engineering ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,550$176,540+$7,990 (+4.7%)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

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $128,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (97.9 in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Relocation: Detroit-Dearborn, MI to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Detroit-Dearborn, MI 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?

About $128,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (97.9 in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 28.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.