2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Killeen-Temple, TX 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 Killeen-Temple, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$130,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+30.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,236
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,236/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

Killeen-Temple, TX

COL 96.1
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 -$11,124
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,056
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $130,700
Federal Income Tax -$20,102
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,999
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $100,599
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $82,239

EPI family budgets put living costs 30.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Killeen-Temple, TX, so $100,000 in Killeen goes about as far as $130,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $927 a month in Killeen and $1,530 in Austin, $7,236 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 $7,236 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,660 in Killeen 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 Killeen-Temple (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$927$1,530+$603+65.0%
Food & Groceries$302$334+$32+10.6%
Transportation$1,015$1,062+$47+4.6%
Healthcare$493$467-$26-5.3%
Other Necessities$381$585+$204+53.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$603/mo (65.0%)
Killeen-Temple: $927/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$679/mo (59.7%)
Killeen-Temple: $1,138/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.53/hr (30.7%)
Killeen-Temple: $21.24/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.51/hr (30.2%)
Killeen-Temple: $18.27/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 Killeen-Temple Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$87,920$117,850+$29,930 (+34.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,320$134,120+$10,800 (+8.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$93,440$97,890+$4,450 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$90,120$102,390+$12,270 (+13.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$73,270$83,120+$9,850 (+13.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$154,180$176,990+$22,810 (+14.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$96,890$129,470+$32,580 (+33.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,890$151,760+$27,870 (+22.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$49,660$60,390+$10,730 (+21.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$140,310$167,180+$26,870 (+19.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$122,220$164,920+$42,700 (+34.9%)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

Killeen-Temple, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $130,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.1 in Killeen-Temple, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Killeen-Temple, TX
Relocation: Killeen-Temple, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Killeen-Temple, TX 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 Killeen-Temple, TX?

About $130,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.1 in Killeen-Temple, TX, 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 Killeen-Temple, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 30.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Killeen-Temple, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.