2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Elizabethtown, KY 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 Elizabethtown, KY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$125,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+25.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,332
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,968
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,636/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

Elizabethtown, KY

COL 100.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,382
Local / City Tax -$1,950
Net Annual Take-Home $73,848
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,392
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,456
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $125,100
Federal Income Tax -$18,758
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,570
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,772
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $78,412

EPI family budgets put living costs 25.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Elizabethtown, KY, so $100,000 in Elizabethtown goes about as far as $125,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $866 a month in Elizabethtown and $1,530 in Austin, $7,968 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,332 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,636 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,810 in Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$866$1,530+$664+76.7%
Food & Groceries$321$334+$13+4.0%
Transportation$1,084$1,062-$22-2.0%
Healthcare$440$467+$27+6.1%
Other Necessities$366$585+$219+59.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,179$1,735-$444-20.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$664/mo (76.7%)
Elizabethtown: $866/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$730/mo (67.2%)
Elizabethtown: $1,087/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.58/hr (25.1%)
Elizabethtown: $22.19/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.41/hr (22.8%)
Elizabethtown: $19.37/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 Elizabethtown Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$76,770$117,850+$41,080 (+53.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$95,980$134,120+$38,140 (+39.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$77,930$97,890+$19,960 (+25.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$77,260$102,390+$25,130 (+32.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$74,020$83,120+$9,100 (+12.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,260$176,990+$51,730 (+41.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$106,330$129,470+$23,140 (+21.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,830$151,760+$29,930 (+24.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$54,460$60,390+$5,930 (+10.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$125,340$167,180+$41,840 (+33.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,220$164,920+$31,700 (+23.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,420$106,600+$6,180 (+6.2%)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

Elizabethtown, KY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $125,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.3 in Elizabethtown, KY, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Elizabethtown, KY
Relocation: Elizabethtown, KY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Elizabethtown, KY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Elizabethtown, KY?

About $125,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.3 in Elizabethtown, KY, 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 Elizabethtown, KY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 25.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Elizabethtown, KY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.