2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Kenosha, WI 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 Kenosha, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$112,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+12.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,428
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,632
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$204/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

Kenosha, WI

COL 111.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,428
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,752
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,728
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,024
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $112,900
Federal Income Tax -$16,008
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,637
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $88,255
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,895

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Kenosha, WI, so $100,000 in Kenosha goes about as far as $112,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,144 a month in Kenosha and $1,530 in Austin, $4,632 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,428 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $204 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,310 in Kenosha 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 Kenosha (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,144$1,530+$386+33.7%
Food & Groceries$356$334-$22-6.2%
Transportation$1,046$1,062+$16+1.5%
Healthcare$463$467+$4+0.9%
Other Necessities$453$585+$132+29.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,104$1,735-$369-17.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$386/mo (33.7%)
Kenosha: $1,144/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$376/mo (26.1%)
Kenosha: $1,441/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.18/hr (12.9%)
Kenosha: $24.59/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.11/hr (-0.5%)
Kenosha: $23.89/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 Kenosha Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$106,310$117,850+$11,540 (+10.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,330$134,120+$3,790 (+2.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$83,110$97,890+$14,780 (+17.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,850$102,390+$8,540 (+9.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$78,840$83,120+$4,280 (+5.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,660$176,990+$4,330 (+2.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$78,630$129,470+$50,840 (+64.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$145,180$151,760+$6,580 (+4.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$142,000$167,180+$25,180 (+17.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$74,970$60,390-$14,580 (-19.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,840$164,920+$20,080 (+13.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,180$106,600+$5,420 (+5.4%)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

Kenosha, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $112,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.2 in Kenosha, WI, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Kenosha, WI
Relocation: Kenosha, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Kenosha, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

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

About $112,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.2 in Kenosha, WI, 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 Kenosha, WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Kenosha, WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.