2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Hattiesburg, MS 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 Hattiesburg, MS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$121,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+21.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,268
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,956
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,688/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

Hattiesburg, MS

COL 103.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,268
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,912
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,404
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,508
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $121,000
Federal Income Tax -$17,790
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,257
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $93,954
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $75,594

EPI family budgets put living costs 21.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Hattiesburg, MS, so $100,000 in Hattiesburg goes about as far as $121,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,117 a month in Hattiesburg and $1,530 in Austin, $4,956 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,268 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,688 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $37,750 in Hattiesburg 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 Hattiesburg (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,117$1,530+$413+37.0%
Food & Groceries$355$334-$21-5.9%
Transportation$1,096$1,062-$34-3.1%
Healthcare$541$467-$74-13.7%
Other Necessities$374$585+$211+56.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,007$1,735-$272-13.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$413/mo (37.0%)
Hattiesburg: $1,117/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$501/mo (38.1%)
Hattiesburg: $1,316/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.81/hr (20.9%)
Hattiesburg: $22.96/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.61/hr (17.9%)
Hattiesburg: $20.17/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 Hattiesburg Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$97,860$117,850+$19,990 (+20.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$76,270$97,890+$21,620 (+28.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$81,710$102,390+$20,680 (+25.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$65,320$83,120+$17,800 (+27.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$105,200$176,990+$71,790 (+68.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$67,620$129,470+$61,850 (+91.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$86,440$151,760+$65,320 (+75.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$48,580$60,390+$11,810 (+24.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$104,540$167,180+$62,640 (+59.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$63,530$106,600+$43,070 (+67.8%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,940$102,980-$960 (-0.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$94,050$126,110+$32,060 (+34.1%)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

Hattiesburg, MS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $121,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (103.8 in Hattiesburg, MS, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Hattiesburg, MS
Relocation: Hattiesburg, MS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Hattiesburg, MS 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 Hattiesburg, MS?

About $121,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (103.8 in Hattiesburg, MS, 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 Hattiesburg, MS?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 21.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Hattiesburg, MS. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.