2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$134,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+34.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$669
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,800
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,131/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

Minot, ND

COL 93.4
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$669
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $78,511
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,560
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,951
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $134,400
Federal Income Tax -$20,990
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,282
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $103,128
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $84,768

EPI family budgets put living costs 34.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Minot, ND, so $100,000 in Minot goes about as far as $134,400 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $880 a month in Minot and $1,530 in Austin, $7,800 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $669 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,131 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,940 in Minot 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 Minot (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$880$1,530+$650+73.9%
Food & Groceries$341$334-$7-2.1%
Transportation$1,048$1,062+$14+1.3%
Healthcare$503$467-$36-7.2%
Other Necessities$330$585+$255+77.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,791$1,735-$56-3.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$650/mo (73.9%)
Minot: $880/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$707/mo (63.7%)
Minot: $1,110/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$8.57/hr (44.6%)
Minot: $19.20/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$13.62/hr (-36.4%)
Minot: $37.40/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 Minot Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$93,120$117,850+$24,730 (+26.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$108,470$134,120+$25,650 (+23.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$80,490$97,890+$17,400 (+21.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$86,990$102,390+$15,400 (+17.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$73,510$83,120+$9,610 (+13.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,290$176,990+$38,700 (+28.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,070$151,760+$31,690 (+26.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,800$60,390+$590 (+1.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$130,770$167,180+$36,410 (+27.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,320$106,600+$22,280 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,430$102,980+$550 (+0.5%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,400$62,810+$410 (+0.7%)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

Minot, ND to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $134,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.4 in Minot, ND, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Minot, ND to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and 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 Minot, ND?

About $134,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.4 in Minot, ND, 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 Minot, ND?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 34.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Minot, ND. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.