2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 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 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$92,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-7.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$288
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,769/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

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

COL 135.4
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,481
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,648
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,051
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $92,700
Federal Income Tax -$11,564
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,092
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,044
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,684

EPI family budgets put living costs 7.3% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, so $100,000 in Durham goes about as far as $92,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,554 a month in Durham and $1,530 in Austin, $288 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,769 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $60,720 in Durham 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 Durham-Chapel Hill (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,554$1,530-$24-1.5%
Food & Groceries$387$334-$53-13.7%
Transportation$1,051$1,062+$11+1.0%
Healthcare$462$467+$5+1.1%
Other Necessities$601$585-$16-2.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$1,735-$290-14.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$24/mo (-1.5%)
Durham-Chapel Hill: $1,554/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$72/mo (4.1%)
Durham-Chapel Hill: $1,745/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.18/hr (-7.3%)
Durham-Chapel Hill: $29.95/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.18/hr (-4.7%)
Durham-Chapel Hill: $24.96/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 Durham-Chapel Hill Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$113,930$117,850+$3,920 (+3.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$135,620$134,120-$1,500 (-1.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$104,870$102,390-$2,480 (-2.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$83,120-$1,970 (-2.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,190$176,990+$800 (+0.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$126,300$129,470+$3,170 (+2.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$190,370$151,760-$38,610 (-20.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$165,470$167,180+$1,710 (+1.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,220$60,390+$1,170 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$175,160$164,920-$10,240 (-5.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$126,110$106,600-$19,510 (-15.5%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,970$126,110-$7,860 (-5.9%)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

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $92,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (135.4 in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Relocation: Durham-Chapel Hill, NC to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 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: Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 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 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

About $92,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (135.4 in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, 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 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 7.3% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.