2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Louisville Metro, KY-IN 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$118,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+18.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,582
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,664
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$82/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

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

COL 105.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,382
Local / City Tax -$2,200
Net Annual Take-Home $73,598
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,696
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,902
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $118,500
Federal Income Tax -$17,240
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,065
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $92,195
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $73,835

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, so $100,000 in Louisville goes about as far as $118,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,058 a month in Louisville and $1,530 in Austin, $5,664 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,582 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $82 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,370 in Louisville 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 Louisville/Jefferson County (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,058$1,530+$472+44.6%
Food & Groceries$346$334-$12-3.5%
Transportation$1,037$1,062+$25+2.4%
Healthcare$424$467+$43+10.1%
Other Necessities$419$585+$166+39.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,200$1,735-$465-21.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$472/mo (44.6%)
Louisville/Jefferson County: $1,058/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$541/mo (42.4%)
Louisville/Jefferson County: $1,276/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.34/hr (18.5%)
Louisville/Jefferson County: $23.43/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.29/hr (10.7%)
Louisville/Jefferson County: $21.49/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 Louisville/Jefferson County Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$89,140$117,850+$28,710 (+32.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,850$97,890+$13,040 (+15.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$110,270$134,120+$23,850 (+21.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,660$102,390+$19,730 (+23.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,320$83,120+$6,800 (+8.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$137,880$151,760+$13,880 (+10.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$150,710$176,990+$26,280 (+17.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,440$60,390-$2,050 (-3.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$76,900$129,470+$52,570 (+68.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$136,970$167,180+$30,210 (+22.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$91,560$106,600+$15,040 (+16.4%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$112,070$126,110+$14,040 (+12.5%)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

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $118,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.9 in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Relocation: Louisville Metro, KY-IN to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 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: Louisville Metro, KY-IN 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

About $118,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.9 in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.