2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lewiston-Auburn, ME 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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$118,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+18.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,129
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,976
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,153/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

Lewiston-Auburn, ME

COL 106.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,129
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,051
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,384
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,667
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $118,300
Federal Income Tax -$17,196
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,050
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $92,054
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $73,694

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, so $100,000 in Lewiston goes about as far as $118,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,282 a month in Lewiston and $1,530 in Austin, $2,976 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,129 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,153 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,540 in Lewiston 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 Lewiston-Auburn (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,282$1,530+$248+19.3%
Food & Groceries$371$334-$37-10.0%
Transportation$1,053$1,062+$9+0.9%
Healthcare$559$467-$92-16.5%
Other Necessities$394$585+$191+48.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,162$1,735-$427-19.8%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$248/mo (19.3%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $1,282/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$140/mo (8.3%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $1,677/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.30/hr (18.3%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $23.47/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.83/hr (8.3%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $21.95/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 Lewiston-Auburn Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,730$117,850+$21,120 (+21.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$117,700$134,120+$16,420 (+14.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$85,870$97,890+$12,020 (+14.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,490$102,390-$100 (-0.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,980$83,120+$7,140 (+9.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,050$176,990+$38,940 (+28.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$89,660$129,470+$39,810 (+44.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,230$151,760+$26,530 (+21.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$78,430$60,390-$18,040 (-23.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,190$167,180+$35,990 (+27.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,140$164,920+$38,780 (+30.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$86,530$106,600+$20,070 (+23.2%)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

Lewiston-Auburn, ME to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $118,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Lewiston-Auburn, ME
Relocation: Lewiston-Auburn, ME to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Lewiston-Auburn, ME 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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME?

About $118,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, 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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lewiston-Auburn, ME. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.