2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Fresno, CA 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 Fresno, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$109,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+9.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,211
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,004
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$4,207/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

Fresno, CA

COL 114.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,911
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,969
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,356
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,613
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $109,700
Federal Income Tax -$15,304
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,392
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $86,004
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,644

EPI family budgets put living costs 9.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Fresno, CA, so $100,000 in Fresno goes about as far as $109,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,363 a month in Fresno and $1,530 in Austin, $2,004 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,211 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,207 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,910 in Fresno 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 Fresno (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,363$1,530+$167+12.3%
Food & Groceries$338$334-$4-1.2%
Transportation$1,078$1,062-$16-1.5%
Healthcare$466$467+$1+0.2%
Other Necessities$481$585+$104+21.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,253$1,735-$518-23.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$167/mo (12.3%)
Fresno: $1,363/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$132/mo (7.8%)
Fresno: $1,685/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.45/hr (9.7%)
Fresno: $25.32/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.75/hr (7.9%)
Fresno: $22.03/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 Fresno Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,010$117,850+$16,840 (+16.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,060$134,120+$5,060 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$125,420$97,890-$27,530 (-22.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,030$102,390+$1,360 (+1.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$78,690$83,120+$4,430 (+5.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,020$151,760+$50,740 (+50.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$148,650$176,990+$28,340 (+19.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$85,130$129,470+$44,340 (+52.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$71,710$60,390-$11,320 (-15.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$137,650$167,180+$29,530 (+21.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,200$106,600+$22,400 (+26.6%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$139,990$164,920+$24,930 (+17.8%)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

Fresno, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $109,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (114.5 in Fresno, CA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Fresno, CA
Relocation: Fresno, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Fresno, CA 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 Fresno, CA?

About $109,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (114.5 in Fresno, CA, 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 Fresno, CA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 9.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Fresno, CA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.