2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Little Rock Metro, AR to Austin-Round Rock, 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$123,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+23.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,687
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,732
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,045/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

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

COL 101.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,687
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,493
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,628
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,865
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $123,500
Federal Income Tax -$18,374
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,448
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,678
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,318

EPI family budgets put living costs 23.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, so $100,000 in Little Rock goes about as far as $123,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $969 a month in Little Rock and $1,530 in Austin, $6,732 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,687 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,045 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $45,790 in Little Rock 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$969$1,530+$561+57.9%
Food & Groceries$343$334-$9-2.6%
Transportation$1,052$1,062+$10+1.0%
Healthcare$481$467-$14-2.9%
Other Necessities$382$585+$203+53.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,042$1,735-$307-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$561/mo (57.9%)
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway: $969/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$696/mo (62.1%)
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway: $1,121/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.29/hr (23.5%)
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway: $22.48/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.45/hr (23.0%)
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway: $19.33/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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$76,080$117,850+$41,770 (+54.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$104,070$134,120+$30,050 (+28.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,070$97,890+$16,820 (+20.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$73,480$102,390+$28,910 (+39.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$65,810$83,120+$17,310 (+26.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,700$176,990+$47,290 (+36.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,300$151,760+$49,460 (+48.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$88,610$129,470+$40,860 (+46.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$119,360$167,180+$47,820 (+40.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$48,200$60,390+$12,190 (+25.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$75,750$106,600+$30,850 (+40.7%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,280$126,110+$24,830 (+24.5%)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

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $123,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.7 in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
Relocation: Little Rock Metro, AR to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Little Rock Metro, AR to Austin-Round Rock, TX 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR?

About $123,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.7 in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 23.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.