2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$97,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-2.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,464
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,464/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

Midland, TX

COL 129.3
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 -$16,896
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,284
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $97,100
Federal Income Tax -$12,532
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,428
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $77,140
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,780

EPI family budgets put living costs 2.9% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Midland, TX, so $100,000 in Midland goes about as far as $97,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,408 a month in Midland and $1,530 in Austin, $1,464 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 $1,464 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,480 in Midland 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 Midland (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,408$1,530+$122+8.7%
Food & Groceries$321$334+$13+4.0%
Transportation$1,144$1,062-$82-7.2%
Healthcare$461$467+$6+1.3%
Other Necessities$591$585-$6-1.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$122/mo (8.7%)
Midland: $1,408/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$23/mo (1.3%)
Midland: $1,794/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.82/hr (-2.9%)
Midland: $28.59/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.44/hr (6.4%)
Midland: $22.34/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 Midland Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$132,420$117,850-$14,570 (-11.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$126,190$134,120+$7,930 (+6.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,120$97,890+$15,770 (+19.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,170$102,390+$4,220 (+4.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$100,890$83,120-$17,770 (-17.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$174,040$176,990+$2,950 (+1.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$139,380$151,760+$12,380 (+8.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$97,470$129,470+$32,000 (+32.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,530$60,390+$860 (+1.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$172,520$167,180-$5,340 (-3.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$149,510$164,920+$15,410 (+10.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$104,260$106,600+$2,340 (+2.2%)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

Midland, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $97,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (129.3 in Midland, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Midland, TX 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 Midland, TX?

About $97,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (129.3 in Midland, 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 Midland, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 2.9% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Midland, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.