2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$125,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+25.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,780
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,124
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$344/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

Lawrence, KS

COL 100.4
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,780
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,400
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,236
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,164
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $125,000
Federal Income Tax -$18,734
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,563
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,704
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $78,344

EPI family budgets put living costs 25.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lawrence, KS, so $100,000 in Lawrence goes about as far as $125,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,103 a month in Lawrence and $1,530 in Austin, $5,124 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,780 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $344 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,390 in Lawrence 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 Lawrence (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,103$1,530+$427+38.7%
Food & Groceries$380$334-$46-12.1%
Transportation$1,003$1,062+$59+5.9%
Healthcare$492$467-$25-5.1%
Other Necessities$381$585+$204+53.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,133$1,735-$398-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$427/mo (38.7%)
Lawrence: $1,103/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$545/mo (42.8%)
Lawrence: $1,272/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.56/hr (25.0%)
Lawrence: $22.21/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.44/hr (16.9%)
Lawrence: $20.34/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 Lawrence Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,110$117,850+$32,740 (+38.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$104,990$134,120+$29,130 (+27.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,020$97,890+$19,870 (+25.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,420$102,390+$8,970 (+9.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,050$83,120+$4,070 (+5.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,920$176,990+$41,070 (+30.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$84,220$129,470+$45,250 (+53.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$189,740$151,760-$37,980 (-20.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,070$60,390-$680 (-1.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$171,290$167,180-$4,110 (-2.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$148,550$164,920+$16,370 (+11.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$83,080$106,600+$23,520 (+28.3%)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

Lawrence, KS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $125,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.4 in Lawrence, KS, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Lawrence, KS 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 Lawrence, KS?

About $125,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.4 in Lawrence, KS, 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 Lawrence, KS?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 25.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lawrence, KS. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.