2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Longview-Kelso, WA 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 Longview-Kelso, WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$125,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+25.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,872
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,872/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

Longview-Kelso, WA

COL 100.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,488
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,692
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $125,500
Federal Income Tax -$18,854
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,601
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $97,045
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $78,685

EPI family budgets put living costs 25.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Longview-Kelso, WA, so $100,000 in Longview goes about as far as $125,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,124 a month in Longview and $1,530 in Austin, $4,872 a year more. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,872 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $57,420 in Longview 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 Longview-Kelso (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,124$1,530+$406+36.1%
Food & Groceries$361$334-$27-7.5%
Transportation$1,092$1,062-$30-2.7%
Healthcare$413$467+$54+13.1%
Other Necessities$411$585+$174+42.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$406/mo (36.1%)
Longview-Kelso: $1,124/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$419/mo (30.0%)
Longview-Kelso: $1,398/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.64/hr (25.5%)
Longview-Kelso: $22.13/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.52/hr (6.8%)
Longview-Kelso: $22.26/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 Longview-Kelso Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,600$117,850-$7,750 (-6.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,000$134,120+$4,120 (+3.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,440$102,390+$950 (+0.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$93,130$83,120-$10,010 (-10.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$171,190$176,990+$5,800 (+3.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,930$151,760-$21,170 (-12.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$96,860$60,390-$36,470 (-37.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$158,880$167,180+$8,300 (+5.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,030$164,920+$43,890 (+36.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,620$106,600+$7,980 (+8.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$154,300$102,980-$51,320 (-33.3%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$80,710$62,810-$17,900 (-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

Longview-Kelso, WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $125,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.1 in Longview-Kelso, WA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Longview-Kelso, WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Longview-Kelso, WA
Relocation: Longview-Kelso, WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Longview-Kelso, WA 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 Longview-Kelso, WA?

About $125,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.1 in Longview-Kelso, WA, 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 Longview-Kelso, WA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 25.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Longview-Kelso, WA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.