2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Fort Smith, AR-OK 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 Fort Smith, AR-OK to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$135,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+35.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,687
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$9,384
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,697/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

Fort Smith, AR-OK

COL 92.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,687
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,493
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$8,976
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,517
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $135,200
Federal Income Tax -$21,182
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,343
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $103,675
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $85,315

EPI family budgets put living costs 35.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Fort Smith, AR-OK, so $100,000 in Fort Smith goes about as far as $135,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $748 a month in Fort Smith and $1,530 in Austin, $9,384 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,687 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,697 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $39,560 in Fort Smith 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 Fort Smith (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$748$1,530+$782+104.5%
Food & Groceries$319$334+$15+4.7%
Transportation$1,080$1,062-$18-1.7%
Healthcare$489$467-$22-4.5%
Other Necessities$313$585+$272+86.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,042$1,735-$307-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$782/mo (104.5%)
Fort Smith: $748/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$838/mo (85.6%)
Fort Smith: $979/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.23/hr (35.2%)
Fort Smith: $20.54/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.85/hr (32.6%)
Fort Smith: $17.93/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 Fort Smith Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$70,330$117,850+$47,520 (+67.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$114,140$134,120+$19,980 (+17.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$79,870$97,890+$18,020 (+22.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$74,990$102,390+$27,400 (+36.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$62,990$83,120+$20,130 (+32.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$114,760$176,990+$62,230 (+54.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$96,920$129,470+$32,550 (+33.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$99,110$151,760+$52,650 (+53.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$52,500$60,390+$7,890 (+15.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$104,990$167,180+$62,190 (+59.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$93,990$164,920+$70,930 (+75.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$65,170$106,600+$41,430 (+63.6%)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

Fort Smith, AR-OK to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $135,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (92.9 in Fort Smith, AR-OK, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Fort Smith, AR-OK to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Fort Smith, AR-OK
Relocation: Fort Smith, AR-OK to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Fort Smith, AR-OK 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 Fort Smith, AR-OK?

About $135,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (92.9 in Fort Smith, AR-OK, 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 Fort Smith, AR-OK?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 35.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Fort Smith, AR-OK. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.