2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$109,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+9.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,211
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,824
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$4,387/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

Modesto, CA

COL 114.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,911
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,969
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,536
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,433
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $109,500
Federal Income Tax -$15,260
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,377
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $85,863
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,503

EPI family budgets put living costs 9.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Modesto, CA, so $100,000 in Modesto goes about as far as $109,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,378 a month in Modesto and $1,530 in Austin, $1,824 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,211 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,387 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,610 in Modesto 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 Modesto (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,378$1,530+$152+11.0%
Food & Groceries$365$334-$31-8.5%
Transportation$1,093$1,062-$31-2.8%
Healthcare$525$467-$58-11.0%
Other Necessities$464$585+$121+26.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,253$1,735-$518-23.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$152/mo (11.0%)
Modesto: $1,378/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$14/mo (0.8%)
Modesto: $1,803/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.40/hr (9.5%)
Modesto: $25.37/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.08/hr (4.8%)
Modesto: $22.70/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 Modesto Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$104,330$117,850+$13,520 (+13.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$119,770$134,120+$14,350 (+12.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$132,590$97,890-$34,700 (-26.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,490$102,390-$100 (-0.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,560$83,120-$440 (-0.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$159,720$176,990+$17,270 (+10.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,550$151,760+$53,210 (+54.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$101,720$129,470+$27,750 (+27.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,710$60,390-$16,320 (-21.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$160,180$167,180+$7,000 (+4.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$160,520$164,920+$4,400 (+2.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,120$106,600+$10,480 (+10.9%)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

Modesto, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $109,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (114.7 in Modesto, CA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Modesto, CA 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 Modesto, CA?

About $109,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (114.7 in Modesto, CA, 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 Modesto, CA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 9.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Modesto, CA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.