2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Grand Island, NE 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 Grand Island, NE to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$137,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+37.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$8,040
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,370/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

Grand Island, NE

COL 91.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,670
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,510
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,320
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,190
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $137,700
Federal Income Tax -$21,782
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,534
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $105,384
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $87,024

EPI family budgets put living costs 37.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Grand Island, NE, so $100,000 in Grand Island goes about as far as $137,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $860 a month in Grand Island and $1,530 in Austin, $8,040 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,670 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,370 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Grand Island 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 Grand Island (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$860$1,530+$670+77.9%
Food & Groceries$320$334+$14+4.4%
Transportation$1,059$1,062+$3+0.3%
Healthcare$566$467-$99-17.5%
Other Necessities$339$585+$246+72.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,041$1,735-$306-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$670/mo (77.9%)
Grand Island: $860/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$737/mo (68.2%)
Grand Island: $1,080/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$8.87/hr (46.9%)
Grand Island: $18.90/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$13.02/hr (-35.4%)
Grand Island: $36.80/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 Grand Island Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$79,520$117,850+$38,330 (+48.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$96,260$134,120+$37,860 (+39.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,590$97,890+$15,300 (+18.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$77,730$102,390+$24,660 (+31.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$68,090$83,120+$15,030 (+22.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,040$176,990+$53,950 (+43.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$134,750$151,760+$17,010 (+12.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$52,470$60,390+$7,920 (+15.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$137,100$167,180+$30,080 (+21.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$76,060$106,600+$30,540 (+40.2%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,880$102,980+$4,100 (+4.1%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$55,850$62,810+$6,960 (+12.5%)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

Grand Island, NE to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $137,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (91.2 in Grand Island, NE, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Grand Island, NE to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Grand Island, NE
Relocation: Grand Island, NE to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Grand Island, NE 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 Grand Island, NE?

About $137,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (91.2 in Grand Island, NE, 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 Grand Island, NE?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 37.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Grand Island, NE. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.