2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$124,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+24.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,900
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$6,900/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

Laredo, TX

COL 101.1
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 -$11,460
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,720
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $124,200
Federal Income Tax -$18,542
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,501
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,157
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,797

EPI family budgets put living costs 24.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Laredo, TX, so $100,000 in Laredo goes about as far as $124,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $955 a month in Laredo and $1,530 in Austin, $6,900 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 $6,900 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $37,250 in Laredo 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 Laredo (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$955$1,530+$575+60.2%
Food & Groceries$300$334+$34+11.3%
Transportation$1,075$1,062-$13-1.2%
Healthcare$554$467-$87-15.7%
Other Necessities$389$585+$196+50.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$575/mo (60.2%)
Laredo: $955/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$660/mo (57.0%)
Laredo: $1,157/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.41/hr (24.2%)
Laredo: $22.36/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.03/hr (26.8%)
Laredo: $18.75/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 Laredo Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$78,640$117,850+$39,210 (+49.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$111,450$134,120+$22,670 (+20.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$77,050$97,890+$20,840 (+27.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$72,530$102,390+$29,860 (+41.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$63,410$83,120+$19,710 (+31.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$127,870$176,990+$49,120 (+38.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$84,960$129,470+$44,510 (+52.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$92,400$151,760+$59,360 (+64.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$46,140$60,390+$14,250 (+30.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$121,140$167,180+$46,040 (+38.0%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$112,680$164,920+$52,240 (+46.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$81,280$106,600+$25,320 (+31.2%)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

Laredo, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $124,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.1 in Laredo, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Laredo, 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 salary.

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

About $124,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.1 in Laredo, 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 Laredo, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 24.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Laredo, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.