2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Great Falls, MT 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 Great Falls, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$123,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+23.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,289
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,360
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,071/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

Great Falls, MT

COL 101.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,289
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,891
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,000
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,891
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $123,700
Federal Income Tax -$18,422
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,463
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,815
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,455

EPI family budgets put living costs 23.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Great Falls, MT, so $100,000 in Great Falls goes about as far as $123,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,000 a month in Great Falls and $1,530 in Austin, $6,360 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,289 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,071 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,510 in Great Falls 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 Great Falls (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,000$1,530+$530+53.0%
Food & Groceries$344$334-$10-2.9%
Transportation$1,022$1,062+$40+3.9%
Healthcare$459$467+$8+1.7%
Other Necessities$387$585+$198+51.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,092$1,735-$357-17.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$530/mo (53.0%)
Great Falls: $1,000/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$509/mo (38.9%)
Great Falls: $1,308/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.33/hr (23.8%)
Great Falls: $22.44/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.30/hr (10.7%)
Great Falls: $21.48/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 Great Falls Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$88,780$117,850+$29,070 (+32.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,290$97,890+$19,600 (+25.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$83,580$102,390+$18,810 (+22.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$72,510$83,120+$10,610 (+14.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,670$176,990+$43,320 (+32.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$84,450$129,470+$45,020 (+53.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,270$151,760+$40,490 (+36.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,960$60,390-$16,570 (-21.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,420$167,180+$35,760 (+27.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$177,930$164,920-$13,010 (-7.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$95,690$106,600+$10,910 (+11.4%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,910$102,980+$1,070 (+1.0%)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

Great Falls, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $123,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.5 in Great Falls, MT, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Great Falls, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Great Falls, MT
Relocation: Great Falls, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Great Falls, MT 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 Great Falls, MT?

About $123,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.5 in Great Falls, MT, 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 Great Falls, MT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 23.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Great Falls, MT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.