2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Los Angeles-Anaheim, CA 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$87,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-12.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,211
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$10,464
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$16,675/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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

COL 144.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,911
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,969
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$28,824
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,145
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $87,100
Federal Income Tax -$10,332
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,663
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $70,105
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $51,745

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.9% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, so $100,000 in Los Angeles goes about as far as $87,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,402 a month in Los Angeles and $1,530 in Austin, $10,464 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,211 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $16,675 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $55,850 in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,402$1,530-$872-36.3%
Food & Groceries$367$334-$33-9.0%
Transportation$1,004$1,062+$58+5.8%
Healthcare$398$467+$69+17.3%
Other Necessities$690$585-$105-15.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,253$1,735-$518-23.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$872/mo (-36.3%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,402/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,147/mo (-38.7%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,964/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$4.12/hr (-12.9%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $31.89/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$4.57/hr (-16.1%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $28.35/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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,830$117,850-$7,980 (-6.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$135,560$97,890-$37,670 (-27.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$160,920$134,120-$26,800 (-16.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$94,360$83,120-$11,240 (-11.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$108,310$102,390-$5,920 (-5.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$132,330$151,760+$19,430 (+14.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$104,930$106,600+$1,670 (+1.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$175,310$167,180-$8,130 (-4.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$204,370$176,990-$27,380 (-13.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$109,700$129,470+$19,770 (+18.0%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$134,230$126,110-$8,120 (-6.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$73,810$60,390-$13,420 (-18.2%)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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $87,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Relocation: Los Angeles-Anaheim, CA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 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: Los Angeles-Anaheim, CA 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?

About $87,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.9% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.