2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Idaho Falls, ID 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 Idaho Falls, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$114,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+14.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,192
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,592
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,400/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

Idaho Falls, ID

COL 110.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,192
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,988
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,768
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,220
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $114,000
Federal Income Tax -$16,250
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,721
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $89,029
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $70,669

EPI family budgets put living costs 14.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Idaho Falls, ID, so $100,000 in Idaho Falls goes about as far as $114,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,064 a month in Idaho Falls and $1,530 in Austin, $5,592 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,192 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,400 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,800 in Idaho 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 Idaho Falls (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,064$1,530+$466+43.8%
Food & Groceries$363$334-$29-8.0%
Transportation$1,133$1,062-$71-6.3%
Healthcare$414$467+$53+12.8%
Other Necessities$434$585+$151+34.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,084$1,735-$349-16.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$466/mo (43.8%)
Idaho Falls: $1,064/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$543/mo (42.6%)
Idaho Falls: $1,274/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.42/hr (14.0%)
Idaho Falls: $24.35/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.24/hr (15.8%)
Idaho Falls: $20.54/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 Idaho Falls Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$80,380$117,850+$37,470 (+46.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,450$134,120+$10,670 (+8.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,110$97,890+$13,780 (+16.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,250$102,390+$140 (+0.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$74,410$83,120+$8,710 (+11.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$166,110$176,990+$10,880 (+6.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$102,960$129,470+$26,510 (+25.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,680$151,760+$20,080 (+15.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$65,350$60,390-$4,960 (-7.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$128,500$167,180+$38,680 (+30.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,560$164,920+$29,360 (+21.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,690$106,600+$23,910 (+28.9%)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

Idaho Falls, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $114,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (110.1 in Idaho Falls, ID, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Idaho Falls, ID
Relocation: Idaho Falls, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Idaho Falls, ID 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 Idaho Falls, ID?

About $114,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (110.1 in Idaho Falls, ID, 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 Idaho Falls, ID?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 14.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Idaho Falls, ID. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.