2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Huntington, WV-KY-OH 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 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$122,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+22.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,145
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,992
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,847/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

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

COL 102.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,885
Local / City Tax -$260
Net Annual Take-Home $75,035
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,368
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,667
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $122,200
Federal Income Tax -$18,062
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,348
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $94,790
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $76,430

EPI family budgets put living costs 22.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, so $100,000 in Huntington goes about as far as $122,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $864 a month in Huntington and $1,530 in Austin, $7,992 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,145 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,847 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $44,600 in Huntington 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 Huntington-Ashland (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$864$1,530+$666+77.1%
Food & Groceries$324$334+$10+3.1%
Transportation$1,010$1,062+$52+5.1%
Healthcare$630$467-$163-25.9%
Other Necessities$363$585+$222+61.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,080$1,735-$345-16.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$666/mo (77.1%)
Huntington-Ashland: $864/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$811/mo (80.6%)
Huntington-Ashland: $1,006/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.04/hr (22.2%)
Huntington-Ashland: $22.73/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.41/hr (16.7%)
Huntington-Ashland: $20.37/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 Huntington-Ashland Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$77,350$117,850+$40,500 (+52.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$110,780$134,120+$23,340 (+21.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,010$97,890+$16,880 (+20.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$79,590$102,390+$22,800 (+28.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$70,840$83,120+$12,280 (+17.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,020$176,990+$48,970 (+38.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$96,960$129,470+$32,510 (+33.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,470$151,760+$44,290 (+41.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$63,620$60,390-$3,230 (-5.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$106,010$167,180+$61,170 (+57.7%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$106,640$164,920+$58,280 (+54.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,710$106,600+$17,890 (+20.2%)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

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $122,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (102.8 in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
Relocation: Huntington, WV-KY-OH to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Huntington, WV-KY-OH 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 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH?

About $122,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (102.8 in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, 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 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 22.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.