2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Kennewick-Richland, WA to Austin-Round Rock, 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 Kennewick-Richland, WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$119,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+19.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,600
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,600/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

Kennewick-Richland, WA

COL 105.5
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 -$14,760
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,420
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $119,100
Federal Income Tax -$17,372
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,111
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $92,617
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $74,257

EPI family budgets put living costs 19.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Kennewick-Richland, WA, so $100,000 in Kennewick goes about as far as $119,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,230 a month in Kennewick and $1,530 in Austin, $3,600 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 $3,600 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $57,290 in Kennewick 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 Kennewick-Richland (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,230$1,530+$300+24.4%
Food & Groceries$352$334-$18-5.1%
Transportation$1,124$1,062-$62-5.5%
Healthcare$377$467+$90+23.9%
Other Necessities$451$585+$134+29.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$300/mo (24.4%)
Kennewick-Richland: $1,230/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$330/mo (22.2%)
Kennewick-Richland: $1,487/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.45/hr (19.1%)
Kennewick-Richland: $23.32/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.17/hr (10.0%)
Kennewick-Richland: $21.61/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 Kennewick-Richland Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$130,460$117,850-$12,610 (-9.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$127,800$134,120+$6,320 (+4.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$106,410$97,890-$8,520 (-8.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$125,940$102,390-$23,550 (-18.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$93,280$83,120-$10,160 (-10.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$175,970$176,990+$1,020 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$80,600$129,470+$48,870 (+60.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$154,340$151,760-$2,580 (-1.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$99,850$60,390-$39,460 (-39.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$168,000$167,180-$820 (-0.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$137,430$164,920+$27,490 (+20.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,260$106,600+$8,340 (+8.5%)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

Kennewick-Richland, WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $119,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.5 in Kennewick-Richland, WA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Kennewick-Richland, WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Kennewick-Richland, WA
Relocation: Kennewick-Richland, WA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Kennewick-Richland, WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Kennewick-Richland, WA to Austin-Round Rock, TX compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

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

About $119,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.5 in Kennewick-Richland, WA, 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 Kennewick-Richland, WA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 19.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Kennewick-Richland, WA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.