2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lewiston, ID-WA 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, ID-WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$125,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+25.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,192
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,044
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,852/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, ID-WA

COL 99.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,192
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,988
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,316
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,672
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $125,800
Federal Income Tax -$18,926
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,624
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $97,250
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $78,890

EPI family budgets put living costs 25.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lewiston, ID-WA, so $100,000 in Lewiston goes about as far as $125,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $943 a month in Lewiston and $1,530 in Austin, $7,044 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,192 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,852 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,300 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 (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$943$1,530+$587+62.2%
Food & Groceries$409$334-$75-18.3%
Transportation$1,108$1,062-$46-4.2%
Healthcare$388$467+$79+20.4%
Other Necessities$411$585+$174+42.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,084$1,735-$349-16.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$587/mo (62.2%)
Lewiston: $943/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$583/mo (47.2%)
Lewiston: $1,234/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.70/hr (25.8%)
Lewiston: $22.07/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.94/hr (19.9%)
Lewiston: $19.84/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 Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$79,030$117,850+$38,820 (+49.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,310$134,120+$32,810 (+32.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$87,650$97,890+$10,240 (+11.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$83,260$102,390+$19,130 (+23.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,790$83,120+$5,330 (+6.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$139,990$176,990+$37,000 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,630$151,760+$20,130 (+15.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$77,130$60,390-$16,740 (-21.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$123,400$167,180+$43,780 (+35.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$79,330$106,600+$27,270 (+34.4%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,210$102,980-$6,230 (-5.7%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$55,240$62,810+$7,570 (+13.7%)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, ID-WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $125,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.8 in Lewiston, ID-WA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Lewiston, ID-WA
Relocation: Lewiston, ID-WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Lewiston, ID-WA 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, ID-WA?

About $125,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.8 in Lewiston, ID-WA, 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, ID-WA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 25.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lewiston, ID-WA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.