2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lincoln, NE 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 Lincoln, NE to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$127,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+27.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,252
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,582/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

Lincoln, NE

COL 98.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,670
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,510
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,108
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,402
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $127,000
Federal Income Tax -$19,214
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,716
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $98,071
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $79,711

EPI family budgets put living costs 27.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lincoln, NE, so $100,000 in Lincoln goes about as far as $127,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,009 a month in Lincoln and $1,530 in Austin, $6,252 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,670 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,582 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,800 in Lincoln 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 Lincoln (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,009$1,530+$521+51.6%
Food & Groceries$360$334-$26-7.2%
Transportation$1,000$1,062+$62+6.2%
Healthcare$544$467-$77-14.2%
Other Necessities$365$585+$220+60.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,041$1,735-$306-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$521/mo (51.6%)
Lincoln: $1,009/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$587/mo (47.7%)
Lincoln: $1,230/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.91/hr (27.0%)
Lincoln: $21.86/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.25/hr (10.5%)
Lincoln: $21.53/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 Lincoln Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$92,780$117,850+$25,070 (+27.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,690$134,120+$32,430 (+31.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$87,530$97,890+$10,360 (+11.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$64,710$102,390+$37,680 (+58.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$65,170$83,120+$17,950 (+27.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$130,340$176,990+$46,650 (+35.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$80,370$129,470+$49,100 (+61.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,430$151,760+$31,330 (+26.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,680$60,390-$290 (-0.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,150$167,180+$36,030 (+27.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,980$164,920+$56,940 (+52.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$68,140$106,600+$38,460 (+56.4%)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

Lincoln, NE to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $127,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.9 in Lincoln, NE, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Lincoln, NE
Relocation: Lincoln, NE to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Lincoln, NE to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & 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 Lincoln, NE?

About $127,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.9 in Lincoln, NE, 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 Lincoln, NE?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 27.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Lincoln, NE. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.