2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Fargo, ND-MN 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 Fargo, ND-MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$145,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+45.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$669
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,524
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$6,855/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

Fargo, ND-MN

COL 86.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$669
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $78,511
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,836
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,675
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $145,600
Federal Income Tax -$23,678
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$11,138
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $110,784
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $92,424

EPI family budgets put living costs 45.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Fargo, ND-MN, so $100,000 in Fargo goes about as far as $145,600 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $903 a month in Fargo and $1,530 in Austin, $7,524 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $669 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,855 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,050 in Fargo 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 Fargo (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$903$1,530+$627+69.4%
Food & Groceries$361$334-$27-7.5%
Transportation$1,033$1,062+$29+2.8%
Healthcare$399$467+$68+17.0%
Other Necessities$328$585+$257+78.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,791$1,735-$56-3.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$627/mo (69.4%)
Fargo: $903/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$713/mo (64.6%)
Fargo: $1,104/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$8.70/hr (45.6%)
Fargo: $19.07/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.30/hr (28.7%)
Fargo: $18.48/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 Fargo Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,410$117,850+$21,440 (+22.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$105,980$134,120+$28,140 (+26.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,120$97,890+$15,770 (+19.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,430$102,390+$4,960 (+5.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,420$83,120+$6,700 (+8.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$152,990$176,990+$24,000 (+15.7%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$78,840$129,470+$50,630 (+64.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,990$151,760+$31,770 (+26.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,950$60,390-$16,560 (-21.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$136,970$167,180+$30,210 (+22.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,790$164,920+$38,130 (+30.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$90,220$106,600+$16,380 (+18.2%)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

Fargo, ND-MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $145,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (86.2 in Fargo, ND-MN, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Fargo, ND-MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Fargo, ND-MN
Relocation: Fargo, ND-MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Fargo, ND-MN 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 Fargo, ND-MN?

About $145,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (86.2 in Fargo, ND-MN, 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 Fargo, ND-MN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 45.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Fargo, ND-MN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.