2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$125,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+25.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,102
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,324
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,223/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

Montgomery, AL

COL 100.4
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,102
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,079
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,036
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,043
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $125,000
Federal Income Tax -$18,734
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,563
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,704
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $78,344

EPI family budgets put living costs 25.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Montgomery, AL, so $100,000 in Montgomery goes about as far as $125,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,003 a month in Montgomery and $1,530 in Austin, $6,324 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,102 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,223 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $44,950 in Montgomery 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 Montgomery (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,003$1,530+$527+52.5%
Food & Groceries$353$334-$19-5.4%
Transportation$1,050$1,062+$12+1.1%
Healthcare$475$467-$8-1.7%
Other Necessities$373$585+$212+56.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,077$1,735-$342-16.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$527/mo (52.5%)
Montgomery: $1,003/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$667/mo (58.0%)
Montgomery: $1,150/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.56/hr (25.0%)
Montgomery: $22.21/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.35/hr (22.4%)
Montgomery: $19.43/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 Montgomery Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,980$117,850+$9,870 (+9.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$110,620$134,120+$23,500 (+21.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$79,570$97,890+$18,320 (+23.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$91,080$102,390+$11,310 (+12.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,040$83,120+$8,080 (+10.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$134,810$176,990+$42,180 (+31.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$109,300$129,470+$20,170 (+18.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,630$151,760+$49,130 (+47.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$49,910$60,390+$10,480 (+21.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,570$167,180+$35,610 (+27.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$99,040$164,920+$65,880 (+66.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,610$106,600+$17,990 (+20.3%)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

Montgomery, AL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $125,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.4 in Montgomery, AL, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Montgomery, AL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Montgomery, AL?

About $125,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.4 in Montgomery, AL, 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 Montgomery, AL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 25.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Montgomery, AL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.