2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lexington-Fayette, KY to New York-Newark, NY-NJ

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 Lexington-Fayette, KY to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$186,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+86.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$2,168
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$18,288
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$20,456/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

Lexington-Fayette, KY

COL 96.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,382
Local / City Tax -$2,750
Net Annual Take-Home $73,048
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,460
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,588
Target Market
Destination Location

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

COL 181.0
Gross Parity Income $186,700
Federal Income Tax -$33,542
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$14,146
State Income Tax -$10,543
Local / City Tax -$6,802
Net Annual Take-Home $121,667
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$32,748
Discretionary Cash Flow $88,919

EPI family budgets put living costs 86.7% higher in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ than in Lexington-Fayette, KY, so $100,000 in Lexington goes about as far as $186,700 in New York. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,205 a month in Lexington and $2,729 in New York, $18,288 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,168 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in New York. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $20,456 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,620 in Lexington and $61,430 in New York.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Lexington-Fayette (Monthly) New York-Newark-Jersey City (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,205$2,729+$1,524+126.5%
Food & Groceries$343$426+$83+24.2%
Transportation$1,030$693-$337-32.7%
Healthcare$444$748+$304+68.5%
Other Necessities$354$879+$525+148.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,246$2,427+$181+8.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,524/mo (126.5%)
Lexington-Fayette: $1,205/mo New York-Newark-Jersey City: $2,729/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,555/mo (109.8%)
Lexington-Fayette: $1,416/mo New York-Newark-Jersey City: $2,971/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$18.59/hr (86.7%)
Lexington-Fayette: $21.44/hr New York-Newark-Jersey City: $40.03/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$13.77/hr (67.4%)
Lexington-Fayette: $20.42/hr New York-Newark-Jersey City: $34.19/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Lexington-Fayette Median New York-Newark-Jersey City Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$79,040$119,720+$40,680 (+51.5%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$80,440$157,000+$76,560 (+95.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,510$166,830+$43,320 (+35.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,780$105,650+$27,870 (+35.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$135,760$221,010+$85,250 (+62.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,520$126,660+$42,140 (+49.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,190$124,390+$25,200 (+25.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,160$215,300+$71,140 (+49.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$127,040$192,840+$65,800 (+51.8%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$81,410$128,930+$47,520 (+58.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,860$215,150+$90,290 (+72.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,320$79,020+$21,700 (+37.9%)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

Lexington-Fayette, KY to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Relocation FAQs

About $186,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Lexington-Fayette, KY, 181.0 in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Lexington-Fayette, KY to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ to Lexington-Fayette, KY
Relocation: Lexington-Fayette, KY to New York-Newark, NY-NJ Overview

Lexington-Fayette, KY to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Lexington-Fayette, KY to New York-Newark, NY-NJ 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ to match $100,000 in Lexington-Fayette, KY?

About $186,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Lexington-Fayette, KY, 181.0 in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ cheaper than Lexington-Fayette, KY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 86.7% higher in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ than in Lexington-Fayette, KY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.