2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Ithaca, NY 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 Ithaca, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$91,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-8.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,860
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,236
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,624/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

Ithaca, NY

COL 137.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,860
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,320
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$17,124
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,196
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $91,200
Federal Income Tax -$11,234
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,977
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,989
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,629

EPI family budgets put living costs 8.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Ithaca, NY, so $100,000 in Ithaca goes about as far as $91,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,427 a month in Ithaca and $1,530 in Austin, $1,236 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,624 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $58,130 in Ithaca 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 Ithaca (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,427$1,530+$103+7.2%
Food & Groceries$405$334-$71-17.5%
Transportation$1,023$1,062+$39+3.8%
Healthcare$800$467-$333-41.6%
Other Necessities$536$585+$49+9.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,140$1,735-$405-18.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$103/mo (7.2%)
Ithaca: $1,427/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$108/mo (6.3%)
Ithaca: $1,709/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.69/hr (-8.8%)
Ithaca: $30.46/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$6.65/hr (-21.9%)
Ithaca: $30.43/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 Ithaca Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,220$117,850+$14,630 (+14.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$122,730$134,120+$11,390 (+9.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,320$97,890-$2,430 (-2.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,870$102,390+$5,520 (+5.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,800$83,120-$680 (-0.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,410$176,990+$8,580 (+5.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$156,140$151,760-$4,380 (-2.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$70,720$60,390-$10,330 (-14.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$152,410$167,180+$14,770 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$167,480$164,920-$2,560 (-1.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$89,630$106,600+$16,970 (+18.9%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$64,460$62,810-$1,650 (-2.6%)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

Ithaca, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $91,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (137.7 in Ithaca, NY, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Ithaca, NY
Relocation: Ithaca, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Ithaca, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Ithaca, NY?

About $91,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (137.7 in Ithaca, NY, 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 Ithaca, NY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 8.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Ithaca, NY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.