2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Jonesboro, AR 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 Jonesboro, AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$136,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+36.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,687
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,620
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,933/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

Jonesboro, AR

COL 92.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,687
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,493
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,740
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,753
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $136,100
Federal Income Tax -$21,398
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,412
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $104,290
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $85,930

EPI family budgets put living costs 36.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Jonesboro, AR, so $100,000 in Jonesboro goes about as far as $136,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $895 a month in Jonesboro and $1,530 in Austin, $7,620 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,687 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,933 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $42,240 in Jonesboro 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 Jonesboro (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$895$1,530+$635+70.9%
Food & Groceries$322$334+$12+3.7%
Transportation$1,058$1,062+$4+0.4%
Healthcare$481$467-$14-2.9%
Other Necessities$316$585+$269+85.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,042$1,735-$307-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$635/mo (70.9%)
Jonesboro: $895/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$738/mo (68.4%)
Jonesboro: $1,079/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.36/hr (36.1%)
Jonesboro: $20.41/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.38/hr (29.2%)
Jonesboro: $18.40/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 Jonesboro Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$69,370$117,850+$48,480 (+69.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$84,990$134,120+$49,130 (+57.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,940$97,890+$18,950 (+24.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$66,430$102,390+$35,960 (+54.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$66,000$83,120+$17,120 (+25.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,630$176,990+$53,360 (+43.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$104,670$151,760+$47,090 (+45.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$48,740$60,390+$11,650 (+23.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$103,230$167,180+$63,950 (+61.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$112,820$164,920+$52,100 (+46.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$61,940$106,600+$44,660 (+72.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$86,170$102,980+$16,810 (+19.5%)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

Jonesboro, AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $136,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (92.3 in Jonesboro, AR, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Jonesboro, AR
Relocation: Jonesboro, AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Jonesboro, AR 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 Jonesboro, AR?

About $136,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (92.3 in Jonesboro, AR, 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 Jonesboro, AR?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 36.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Jonesboro, AR. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.