2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Jacksonville, NC 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 Jacksonville, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$120,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+20.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,484
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,003/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

Jacksonville, NC

COL 104.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,481
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,876
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,823
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $120,100
Federal Income Tax -$17,592
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,188
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $93,320
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $74,960

EPI family budgets put living costs 20.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Jacksonville, NC, so $100,000 in Jacksonville goes about as far as $120,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,073 a month in Jacksonville and $1,530 in Austin, $5,484 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,003 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $40,230 in Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,073$1,530+$457+42.6%
Food & Groceries$342$334-$8-2.3%
Transportation$1,098$1,062-$36-3.3%
Healthcare$518$467-$51-9.8%
Other Necessities$379$585+$206+54.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$1,735-$290-14.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$457/mo (42.6%)
Jacksonville: $1,073/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$498/mo (37.8%)
Jacksonville: $1,319/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.65/hr (20.1%)
Jacksonville: $23.12/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.68/hr (18.3%)
Jacksonville: $20.10/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 Jacksonville Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$91,100$117,850+$26,750 (+29.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,110$134,120+$11,010 (+8.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,750$97,890+$13,140 (+15.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$79,240$102,390+$23,150 (+29.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$73,740$83,120+$9,380 (+12.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$148,330$176,990+$28,660 (+19.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$89,420$129,470+$40,050 (+44.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,000$151,760+$44,760 (+41.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$48,470$60,390+$11,920 (+24.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$121,420$167,180+$45,760 (+37.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$91,170$106,600+$15,430 (+16.9%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,920$102,980+$4,060 (+4.1%)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

Jacksonville, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $120,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (104.5 in Jacksonville, NC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Jacksonville, NC
Relocation: Jacksonville, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Jacksonville, NC 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 Jacksonville, NC?

About $120,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (104.5 in Jacksonville, NC, 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 Jacksonville, NC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 20.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Jacksonville, NC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.