2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: McAllen-Edinburg, TX 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$141,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+41.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$8,688
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$8,688/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

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

COL 88.8
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 -$9,672
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,508
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $141,400
Federal Income Tax -$22,670
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,817
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $107,913
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $89,553

EPI family budgets put living costs 41.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX, so $100,000 in McAllen goes about as far as $141,400 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $806 a month in McAllen and $1,530 in Austin, $8,688 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 $8,688 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $35,830 in McAllen 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$806$1,530+$724+89.8%
Food & Groceries$281$334+$53+18.9%
Transportation$1,091$1,062-$29-2.7%
Healthcare$393$467+$74+18.8%
Other Necessities$333$585+$252+75.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$724/mo (89.8%)
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission: $806/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$800/mo (78.7%)
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission: $1,017/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$8.14/hr (41.5%)
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission: $19.63/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$7.12/hr (42.7%)
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission: $16.66/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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$74,570$117,850+$43,280 (+58.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$116,120$134,120+$18,000 (+15.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$80,540$97,890+$17,350 (+21.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$69,910$102,390+$32,480 (+46.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$64,470$83,120+$18,650 (+28.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,750$176,990+$43,240 (+32.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,440$151,760+$50,320 (+49.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$83,660$129,470+$45,810 (+54.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$46,930$60,390+$13,460 (+28.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$129,290$167,180+$37,890 (+29.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$113,360$164,920+$51,560 (+45.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$72,150$106,600+$34,450 (+47.7%)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

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $141,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (88.8 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
Relocation: McAllen-Edinburg, TX to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: McAllen-Edinburg, TX 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX?

About $141,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (88.8 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX, 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 41.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.