2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Erie, PA 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 Erie, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$139,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+39.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,772
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$8,148
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,376/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

Erie, PA

COL 90.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,070
Local / City Tax -$1,702
Net Annual Take-Home $74,408
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,212
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,196
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $139,200
Federal Income Tax -$22,142
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,649
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $106,409
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $88,049

EPI family budgets put living costs 39.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Erie, PA, so $100,000 in Erie goes about as far as $139,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $851 a month in Erie and $1,530 in Austin, $8,148 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,772 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,376 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $44,460 in Erie 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 Erie (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$851$1,530+$679+79.8%
Food & Groceries$355$334-$21-5.9%
Transportation$1,007$1,062+$55+5.5%
Healthcare$332$467+$135+40.7%
Other Necessities$353$585+$232+65.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,133$1,735-$398-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$679/mo (79.8%)
Erie: $851/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$726/mo (66.5%)
Erie: $1,091/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.83/hr (39.3%)
Erie: $19.94/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.84/hr (25.6%)
Erie: $18.94/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 Erie Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$89,840$117,850+$28,010 (+31.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,550$134,120+$32,570 (+32.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$80,000$97,890+$17,890 (+22.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,590$102,390+$8,800 (+9.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$70,000$83,120+$13,120 (+18.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,610$176,990+$45,380 (+34.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$104,800$129,470+$24,670 (+23.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$118,050$151,760+$33,710 (+28.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$65,820$60,390-$5,430 (-8.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$121,550$167,180+$45,630 (+37.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,090$164,920+$44,830 (+37.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$79,130$106,600+$27,470 (+34.7%)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

Erie, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $139,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (90.2 in Erie, PA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Erie, PA
Relocation: Erie, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Erie, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and 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 Erie, PA?

About $139,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (90.2 in Erie, PA, 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 Erie, PA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 39.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Erie, PA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.