2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Flagstaff, AZ 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 Flagstaff, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$90,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-9.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$2,098
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$300
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,398/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

Flagstaff, AZ

COL 138.4
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$2,098
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $77,083
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,660
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,423
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $90,700
Federal Income Tax -$11,124
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,939
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,637
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,277

EPI family budgets put living costs 9.3% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Flagstaff, AZ, so $100,000 in Flagstaff goes about as far as $90,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,555 a month in Flagstaff and $1,530 in Austin, $300 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,098 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,398 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,500 in Flagstaff 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 Flagstaff (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,555$1,530-$25-1.6%
Food & Groceries$369$334-$35-9.5%
Transportation$1,155$1,062-$93-8.1%
Healthcare$541$467-$74-13.7%
Other Necessities$600$585-$15-2.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,910$1,735-$175-9.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$25/mo (-1.6%)
Flagstaff: $1,555/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$88/mo (5.1%)
Flagstaff: $1,729/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.83/hr (-9.2%)
Flagstaff: $30.60/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.76/hr (-6.9%)
Flagstaff: $25.54/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 Flagstaff Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$77,740$117,850+$40,110 (+51.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$113,580$134,120+$20,540 (+18.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,780$97,890-$2,890 (-2.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$77,940$102,390+$24,450 (+31.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,980$83,120+$5,140 (+6.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$134,700$176,990+$42,290 (+31.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$97,470$129,470+$32,000 (+32.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,960$151,760+$43,800 (+40.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,330$60,390-$940 (-1.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$104,580$167,180+$62,600 (+59.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,300$164,920+$45,620 (+38.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$94,520$106,600+$12,080 (+12.8%)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

Flagstaff, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $90,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (138.4 in Flagstaff, AZ, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Flagstaff, AZ
Relocation: Flagstaff, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Flagstaff, AZ 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 Flagstaff, AZ?

About $90,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (138.4 in Flagstaff, AZ, 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 Flagstaff, AZ?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 9.3% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Flagstaff, AZ. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.