2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Minneapolis Metro, MN-WI 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$108,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+8.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,277
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,236
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$4,041/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

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

COL 115.8
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 -$17,124
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,779
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $108,500
Federal Income Tax -$15,040
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,300
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $85,160
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,800

EPI family budgets put living costs 8.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, so $100,000 in Minneapolis goes about as far as $108,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,427 a month in Minneapolis and $1,530 in Austin, $1,236 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 $4,041 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $59,320 in Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,427$1,530+$103+7.2%
Food & Groceries$405$334-$71-17.5%
Transportation$1,061$1,062+$1+0.1%
Healthcare$361$467+$106+29.4%
Other Necessities$505$585+$80+15.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$1,735-$440-20.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$103/mo (7.2%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $1,427/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$83/mo (4.8%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $1,734/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.17/hr (8.5%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $25.60/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.49/hr (-5.9%)
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington: $25.27/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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,570$117,850+$14,280 (+13.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$103,040$97,890-$5,150 (-5.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,920$134,120+$3,200 (+2.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$86,500$83,120-$3,380 (-3.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,860$102,390+$4,530 (+4.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,560$106,600+$5,040 (+5.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$178,080$176,990-$1,090 (-0.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$165,620$167,180+$1,560 (+0.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,100$151,760-$6,340 (-4.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$81,890$60,390-$21,500 (-26.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,040$164,920-$8,120 (-4.7%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$91,730$129,470+$37,740 (+41.1%)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

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $108,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (115.8 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Relocation: Minneapolis Metro, MN-WI to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 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: Minneapolis Metro, MN-WI 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

About $108,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (115.8 in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 8.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.