2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houma-Bayou Cane, LA to Austin-Round Rock, 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 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$128,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+28.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$2,614
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,524
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,910/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

Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA

COL 98.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$2,614
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,566
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,836
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,730
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $128,000
Federal Income Tax -$19,454
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,792
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $98,754
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $80,394

EPI family budgets put living costs 28.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA, so $100,000 in Houma goes about as far as $128,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $903 a month in Houma and $1,530 in Austin, $7,524 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,614 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,910 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $45,610 in Houma 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 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$903$1,530+$627+69.4%
Food & Groceries$341$334-$7-2.1%
Transportation$1,104$1,062-$42-3.8%
Healthcare$489$467-$22-4.5%
Other Necessities$350$585+$235+67.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,953$1,735-$218-11.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$627/mo (69.4%)
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux: $903/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$719/mo (65.5%)
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux: $1,098/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.08/hr (28.0%)
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux: $21.69/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.89/hr (19.6%)
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux: $19.89/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 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,200$117,850+$10,650 (+9.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$102,970$134,120+$31,150 (+30.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$75,740$97,890+$22,150 (+29.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$90,550$102,390+$11,840 (+13.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$74,620$83,120+$8,500 (+11.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,970$176,990+$55,020 (+45.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,700$151,760+$28,060 (+22.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,650$60,390+$2,740 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$121,000$167,180+$46,180 (+38.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,680$106,600+$8,920 (+9.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$97,790$102,980+$5,190 (+5.3%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$55,240$62,810+$7,570 (+13.7%)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

Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $128,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.1 in Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA
Relocation: Houma-Bayou Cane, LA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Houma-Bayou Cane, LA to Austin-Round Rock, TX compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA?

About $128,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.1 in Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA, 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 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 28.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.