2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lansing-East Lansing, MI 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 Lansing-East Lansing, MI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$131,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+31.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,993
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,712
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$719/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

Lansing-East Lansing, MI

COL 95.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,999
Local / City Tax -$994
Net Annual Take-Home $74,187
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,648
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,539
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $131,100
Federal Income Tax -$20,198
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,029
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $100,873
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $82,513

EPI family budgets put living costs 31.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lansing-East Lansing, MI, so $100,000 in Lansing goes about as far as $131,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,054 a month in Lansing and $1,530 in Austin, $5,712 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,993 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $719 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $52,800 in Lansing 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 Lansing-East Lansing (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,054$1,530+$476+45.2%
Food & Groceries$346$334-$12-3.5%
Transportation$1,018$1,062+$44+4.3%
Healthcare$407$467+$60+14.7%
Other Necessities$378$585+$207+54.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,151$1,735-$416-19.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$476/mo (45.2%)
Lansing-East Lansing: $1,054/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$494/mo (37.3%)
Lansing-East Lansing: $1,323/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.59/hr (31.1%)
Lansing-East Lansing: $21.18/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.79/hr (25.2%)
Lansing-East Lansing: $18.99/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 Lansing-East Lansing Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,140$117,850-$1,290 (-1.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$97,120$134,120+$37,000 (+38.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,320$97,890+$13,570 (+16.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,050$102,390+$5,340 (+5.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,210$83,120+$3,910 (+4.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$134,440$176,990+$42,550 (+31.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$90,250$129,470+$39,220 (+43.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,630$151,760+$27,130 (+21.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$80,480$60,390-$20,090 (-25.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$132,590$167,180+$34,590 (+26.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$80,580$106,600+$26,020 (+32.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,890$164,920+$38,030 (+30.0%)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

Lansing-East Lansing, MI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $131,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (95.8 in Lansing-East Lansing, MI, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Lansing-East Lansing, MI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Lansing-East Lansing, MI
Relocation: Lansing-East Lansing, MI to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Lansing-East Lansing, MI 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: Lansing-East Lansing, MI 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 Lansing-East Lansing, MI?

About $131,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (95.8 in Lansing-East Lansing, MI, 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 Lansing-East Lansing, MI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 31.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lansing-East Lansing, MI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.