2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lexington Park, MD 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 Lexington Park, MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$114,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+14.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$7,377
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,280
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$5,097/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 Park, MD

COL 109.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,386
Local / City Tax -$2,990
Net Annual Take-Home $71,803
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,080
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,723
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $114,400
Federal Income Tax -$16,338
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,752
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $89,310
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $70,950

EPI family budgets put living costs 14.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lexington Park, MD, so $100,000 in Lexington Park goes about as far as $114,400 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,340 a month in Lexington Park and $1,530 in Austin, $2,280 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $7,377 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,097 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $63,990 in Lexington Park 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 Lexington Park (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,340$1,530+$190+14.2%
Food & Groceries$364$334-$30-8.2%
Transportation$1,232$1,062-$170-13.8%
Healthcare$358$467+$109+30.4%
Other Necessities$576$585+$9+1.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,350$1,735-$615-26.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$190/mo (14.2%)
Lexington Park: $1,340/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$177/mo (10.8%)
Lexington Park: $1,640/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.87/hr (21.3%)
Lexington Park: $22.90/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$20.42/hr (-46.2%)
Lexington Park: $44.20/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 Lexington Park Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$106,250$117,850+$11,600 (+10.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$132,850$134,120+$1,270 (+1.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$94,780$97,890+$3,110 (+3.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$103,700$102,390-$1,310 (-1.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$91,240$83,120-$8,120 (-8.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,330$176,990+$12,660 (+7.7%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$144,680$129,470-$15,210 (-10.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,360$151,760+$13,400 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$130,020$106,600-$23,420 (-18.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,550$60,390-$1,160 (-1.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$139,100$167,180+$28,080 (+20.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$134,910$164,920+$30,010 (+22.2%)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

Lexington Park, MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $114,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (109.8 in Lexington Park, MD, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Lexington Park, MD
Relocation: Lexington Park, MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Lexington Park, MD 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 Lexington Park, MD?

About $114,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (109.8 in Lexington Park, MD, 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 Lexington Park, MD?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 14.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lexington Park, MD. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.