2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Johnson City, TN 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 Johnson City, TN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$129,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+29.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,984
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$6,984/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

Johnson City, TN

COL 97.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,376
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,804
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $129,100
Federal Income Tax -$19,718
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,876
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $99,506
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $81,146

EPI family budgets put living costs 29.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Johnson City, TN, so $100,000 in Johnson City goes about as far as $129,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $948 a month in Johnson City and $1,530 in Austin, $6,984 a year more. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,984 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $43,480 in Johnson City 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 Johnson City (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$948$1,530+$582+61.4%
Food & Groceries$358$334-$24-6.7%
Transportation$1,034$1,062+$28+2.7%
Healthcare$485$467-$18-3.7%
Other Necessities$387$585+$198+51.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$582/mo (61.4%)
Johnson City: $948/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$606/mo (50.0%)
Johnson City: $1,211/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.25/hr (29.0%)
Johnson City: $21.52/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.02/hr (26.8%)
Johnson City: $18.76/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 Johnson City Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$93,200$117,850+$24,650 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,320$134,120+$30,800 (+29.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$77,660$97,890+$20,230 (+26.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$78,100$102,390+$24,290 (+31.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$64,710$83,120+$18,410 (+28.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,530$176,990+$48,460 (+37.7%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$78,370$129,470+$51,100 (+65.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,470$151,760+$22,290 (+17.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$52,190$60,390+$8,200 (+15.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$133,170$167,180+$34,010 (+25.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,630$164,920+$45,290 (+37.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,610$106,600+$17,990 (+20.3%)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

Johnson City, TN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $129,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (97.3 in Johnson City, TN, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Johnson City, TN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Johnson City, TN
Relocation: Johnson City, TN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Johnson City, TN 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 Johnson City, TN?

About $129,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (97.3 in Johnson City, TN, 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 Johnson City, TN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 29.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Johnson City, TN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.