2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Kansas City, MO-KS 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 Kansas City, MO-KS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$114,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+14.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,968
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,702/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

Kansas City, MO-KS

COL 109.4
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,670
Local / City Tax -$1,000
Net Annual Take-Home $74,510
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,392
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,118
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $114,800
Federal Income Tax -$16,426
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,782
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $89,592
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $71,232

EPI family budgets put living costs 14.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Kansas City, MO-KS, so $100,000 in Kansas City goes about as far as $114,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,366 a month in Kansas City and $1,530 in Austin, $1,968 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,670 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,702 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,820 in Kansas 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 Kansas City (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,366$1,530+$164+12.0%
Food & Groceries$371$334-$37-10.0%
Transportation$1,032$1,062+$30+2.9%
Healthcare$458$467+$9+2.0%
Other Necessities$449$585+$136+30.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,124$1,735-$389-18.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$164/mo (12.0%)
Kansas City: $1,366/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$271/mo (17.5%)
Kansas City: $1,546/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.58/hr (14.8%)
Kansas City: $24.19/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.22/hr (10.3%)
Kansas City: $21.56/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 Kansas City Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$90,490$117,850+$27,360 (+30.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$83,040$97,890+$14,850 (+17.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$124,990$134,120+$9,130 (+7.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,050$102,390+$1,340 (+1.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$80,040$83,120+$3,080 (+3.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,050$176,990+$8,940 (+5.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$105,470$129,470+$24,000 (+22.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,860$60,390-$16,470 (-21.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$162,490$167,180+$4,690 (+2.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,430$106,600+$8,170 (+8.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$159,990$151,760-$8,230 (-5.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$139,240$164,920+$25,680 (+18.4%)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

Kansas City, MO-KS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $114,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (109.4 in Kansas City, MO-KS, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Kansas City, MO-KS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Kansas City, MO-KS
Relocation: Kansas City, MO-KS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Kansas City, MO-KS 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 Kansas City, MO-KS?

About $114,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (109.4 in Kansas City, MO-KS, 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 Kansas City, MO-KS?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 14.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Kansas City, MO-KS. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.