2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA 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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$138,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+38.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$8,220
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$8,220/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

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA

COL 90.5
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 -$10,140
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,040
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $138,800
Federal Income Tax -$22,046
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,618
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $106,136
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $87,776

EPI family budgets put living costs 38.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA, so $100,000 in Kingsport goes about as far as $138,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $845 a month in Kingsport and $1,530 in Austin, $8,220 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 $8,220 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $45,240 in Kingsport 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 Kingsport-Bristol (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$845$1,530+$685+81.1%
Food & Groceries$345$334-$11-3.2%
Transportation$1,064$1,062-$2-0.2%
Healthcare$460$467+$7+1.5%
Other Necessities$336$585+$249+74.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$685/mo (81.1%)
Kingsport-Bristol: $845/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$726/mo (66.5%)
Kingsport-Bristol: $1,091/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.76/hr (38.8%)
Kingsport-Bristol: $20.01/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.67/hr (31.3%)
Kingsport-Bristol: $18.11/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 Kingsport-Bristol Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$97,450$117,850+$20,400 (+20.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$115,310$134,120+$18,810 (+16.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$76,730$97,890+$21,160 (+27.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$87,290$102,390+$15,100 (+17.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,940$83,120+$7,180 (+9.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$130,830$176,990+$46,160 (+35.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$71,880$129,470+$57,590 (+80.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$132,950$151,760+$18,810 (+14.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,070$60,390+$320 (+0.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$132,280$167,180+$34,900 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$136,240$164,920+$28,680 (+21.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,610$106,600+$12,990 (+13.9%)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

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $138,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (90.5 in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
Relocation: Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA 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: Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA 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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA?

About $138,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (90.5 in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA, 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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 38.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.