2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Indianapolis-Greenwood, IN 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$124,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+24.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,920
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,328
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,592/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

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN

COL 100.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$2,921
Local / City Tax -$2,000
Net Annual Take-Home $74,260
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,032
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,228
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $124,800
Federal Income Tax -$18,686
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,547
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,567
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $78,207

EPI family budgets put living costs 24.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN, so $100,000 in Indianapolis goes about as far as $124,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,336 a month in Indianapolis and $1,530 in Austin, $2,328 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,920 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,592 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,340 in Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,336$1,530+$194+14.5%
Food & Groceries$336$334-$2-0.6%
Transportation$1,031$1,062+$31+3.0%
Healthcare$420$467+$47+11.2%
Other Necessities$401$585+$184+45.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,145$1,735-$410-19.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$194/mo (14.5%)
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood: $1,336/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$281/mo (18.3%)
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood: $1,536/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.51/hr (24.8%)
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood: $22.26/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.68/hr (12.7%)
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood: $21.10/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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,480$117,850-$2,630 (-2.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,230$97,890+$13,660 (+16.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$106,870$134,120+$27,250 (+25.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,290$83,120+$3,830 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,710$102,390+$2,680 (+2.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$155,230$176,990+$21,760 (+14.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$137,410$151,760+$14,350 (+10.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$65,130$60,390-$4,740 (-7.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,020$106,600+$9,580 (+9.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$146,620$167,180+$20,560 (+14.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$101,780$129,470+$27,690 (+27.2%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$47,980$48,260+$280 (+0.6%)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

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $124,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.7 in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
Relocation: Indianapolis-Greenwood, IN to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Indianapolis-Greenwood, IN 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN?

About $124,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.7 in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN, 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 24.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.