2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Great Falls, MT to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$178,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+78.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,012
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$20,748
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$24,760/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

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

COL 181.0
Gross Parity Income $178,400
Federal Income Tax -$31,550
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$13,648
State Income Tax -$10,054
Local / City Tax -$6,480
Net Annual Take-Home $116,669
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$32,748
Discretionary Cash Flow $83,921

EPI family budgets put living costs 78.4% higher in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ than in Great Falls, MT, so $100,000 in Great Falls goes about as far as $178,400 in New York. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,000 a month in Great Falls and $2,729 in New York, $20,748 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,012 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in New York. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $24,760 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,510 in Great Falls and $61,430 in New York.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Great Falls (Monthly) New York-Newark-Jersey City (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,000$2,729+$1,729+172.9%
Food & Groceries$344$426+$82+23.8%
Transportation$1,022$693-$329-32.2%
Healthcare$459$748+$289+63.0%
Other Necessities$387$879+$492+127.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,092$2,427+$335+16.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,729/mo (172.9%)
Great Falls: $1,000/mo New York-Newark-Jersey City: $2,729/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,663/mo (127.1%)
Great Falls: $1,308/mo New York-Newark-Jersey City: $2,971/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$17.59/hr (78.4%)
Great Falls: $22.44/hr New York-Newark-Jersey City: $40.03/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$12.71/hr (59.2%)
Great Falls: $21.48/hr New York-Newark-Jersey City: $34.19/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 New York-Newark-Jersey City Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,290$119,720+$41,430 (+52.9%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$88,780$157,000+$68,220 (+76.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$72,510$105,650+$33,140 (+45.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,420$221,010+$89,590 (+68.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$83,580$126,660+$43,080 (+51.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$95,690$124,390+$28,700 (+30.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,670$215,300+$81,630 (+61.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$177,930$192,840+$14,910 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,270$215,150+$103,880 (+93.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,960$79,020+$2,060 (+2.7%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,130$167,580+$64,450 (+62.5%)View Dossier
HVAC/R TechnicianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,670$77,990+$17,320 (+28.5%)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

Great Falls, MT to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Relocation FAQs

About $178,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.5 in Great Falls, MT, 181.0 in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Great Falls, MT to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ to Great Falls, MT
Relocation: Great Falls, MT to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Overview

Great Falls, MT to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ to match $100,000 in Great Falls, MT?

About $178,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.5 in Great Falls, MT, 181.0 in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ cheaper than Great Falls, MT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 78.4% higher in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ than in Great Falls, MT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.