2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lima, OH 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 Lima, OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$134,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+34.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,548
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,067/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

Lima, OH

COL 93.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$1,981
Local / City Tax -$1,500
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,812
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,887
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $134,700
Federal Income Tax -$21,062
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,305
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $103,333
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $84,973

EPI family budgets put living costs 34.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lima, OH, so $100,000 in Lima goes about as far as $134,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $901 a month in Lima and $1,530 in Austin, $7,548 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,067 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,170 in Lima 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 Lima (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$901$1,530+$629+69.8%
Food & Groceries$310$334+$24+7.7%
Transportation$1,050$1,062+$12+1.1%
Healthcare$480$467-$13-2.7%
Other Necessities$341$585+$244+71.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$1,735-$290-14.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$629/mo (69.8%)
Lima: $901/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$638/mo (54.1%)
Lima: $1,179/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.15/hr (34.7%)
Lima: $20.62/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.99/hr (26.6%)
Lima: $18.79/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 Lima Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$80,720$117,850+$37,130 (+46.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$114,600$134,120+$19,520 (+17.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,440$97,890+$16,450 (+20.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$81,670$102,390+$20,720 (+25.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$72,980$83,120+$10,140 (+13.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$140,030$176,990+$36,960 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$114,100$151,760+$37,660 (+33.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$75,600$60,390-$15,210 (-20.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$125,380$167,180+$41,800 (+33.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$122,260$164,920+$42,660 (+34.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$81,530$106,600+$25,070 (+30.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$91,350$102,980+$11,630 (+12.7%)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

Lima, OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $134,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.2 in Lima, OH, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Lima, OH
Relocation: Lima, OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Lima, OH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and 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 Lima, OH?

About $134,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.2 in Lima, OH, 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 Lima, OH?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 34.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lima, OH. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.