2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Mankato, MN 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 Mankato, MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$117,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+17.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,277
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,084
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$807/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

Mankato, MN

COL 107.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,277
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,903
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,276
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,627
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $117,200
Federal Income Tax -$16,954
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,966
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $91,280
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $72,920

EPI family budgets put living costs 17.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Mankato, MN, so $100,000 in Mankato goes about as far as $117,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,023 a month in Mankato and $1,530 in Austin, $6,084 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,277 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $807 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,530 in Mankato 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 Mankato (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,023$1,530+$507+49.6%
Food & Groceries$382$334-$48-12.6%
Transportation$1,076$1,062-$14-1.3%
Healthcare$483$467-$16-3.3%
Other Necessities$418$585+$167+40.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$1,735-$440-20.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$507/mo (49.6%)
Mankato: $1,023/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$587/mo (47.7%)
Mankato: $1,230/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.07/hr (17.2%)
Mankato: $23.70/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.98/hr (9.1%)
Mankato: $21.80/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 Mankato Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$86,890$117,850+$30,960 (+35.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$100,630$134,120+$33,490 (+33.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$103,400$97,890-$5,510 (-5.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$80,970$102,390+$21,420 (+26.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,660$83,120+$6,460 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$142,390$176,990+$34,600 (+24.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$80,370$129,470+$49,100 (+61.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,330$151,760+$20,430 (+15.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$83,120$60,390-$22,730 (-27.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$134,710$167,180+$32,470 (+24.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$155,360$164,920+$9,560 (+6.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$77,020$106,600+$29,580 (+38.4%)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

Mankato, MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $117,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.2 in Mankato, MN, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Mankato, MN
Relocation: Mankato, MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Mankato, MN 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 Mankato, MN?

About $117,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.2 in Mankato, MN, 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 Mankato, MN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 17.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Mankato, MN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.