2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dubuque, IA 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 Dubuque, IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$134,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+34.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,148
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,668
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,520/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

Dubuque, IA

COL 93.3
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 -$10,692
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,340
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $134,500
Federal Income Tax -$21,014
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,289
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $103,197
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $84,837

EPI family budgets put living costs 34.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Dubuque, IA, so $100,000 in Dubuque goes about as far as $134,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $891 a month in Dubuque and $1,530 in Austin, $7,668 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 $4,520 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,750 in Dubuque 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 Dubuque (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$891$1,530+$639+71.7%
Food & Groceries$357$334-$23-6.4%
Transportation$1,088$1,062-$26-2.4%
Healthcare$393$467+$74+18.8%
Other Necessities$335$585+$250+74.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,997$1,735-$262-13.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$639/mo (71.7%)
Dubuque: $891/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$686/mo (60.7%)
Dubuque: $1,131/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.13/hr (34.5%)
Dubuque: $20.64/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.80/hr (25.3%)
Dubuque: $18.98/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 Dubuque Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$92,530$117,850+$25,320 (+27.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$105,360$134,120+$28,760 (+27.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$76,790$97,890+$21,100 (+27.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$104,690$102,390-$2,300 (-2.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$74,140$83,120+$8,980 (+12.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$136,670$176,990+$40,320 (+29.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$90,480$129,470+$38,990 (+43.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$130,980$151,760+$20,780 (+15.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$126,980$167,180+$40,200 (+31.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,110$60,390-$1,720 (-2.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$127,280$164,920+$37,640 (+29.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$73,960$106,600+$32,640 (+44.1%)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

Dubuque, IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $134,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.3 in Dubuque, IA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Dubuque, IA
Relocation: Dubuque, IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Dubuque, IA 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 Dubuque, IA?

About $134,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.3 in Dubuque, IA, 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 Dubuque, IA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 34.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Dubuque, IA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.