2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Nashville-Davidson, TN 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$94,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-5.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,440
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,440/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

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

COL 132.5
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 -$19,800
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,380
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $94,800
Federal Income Tax -$12,026
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,252
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,522
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,162

EPI family budgets put living costs 5.2% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, so $100,000 in Nashville goes about as far as $94,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,650 a month in Nashville and $1,530 in Austin, $1,440 a year less. 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 $1,440 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,390 in Nashville 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,650$1,530-$120-7.3%
Food & Groceries$388$334-$54-13.9%
Transportation$1,078$1,062-$16-1.5%
Healthcare$519$467-$52-10.0%
Other Necessities$614$585-$29-4.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$120/mo (-7.3%)
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin: $1,650/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$19/mo (1.1%)
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin: $1,798/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.53/hr (-5.2%)
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin: $29.30/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.27/hr (1.1%)
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin: $23.51/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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,990$117,850-$2,140 (-1.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,040$97,890+$13,850 (+16.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$126,610$134,120+$7,510 (+5.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,990$102,390+$16,400 (+19.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$78,080$83,120+$5,040 (+6.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$165,970$176,990+$11,020 (+6.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$156,860$167,180+$10,320 (+6.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,600$151,760+$20,160 (+15.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$81,310$129,470+$48,160 (+59.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$63,340$60,390-$2,950 (-4.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,640$106,600+$3,960 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$116,480$126,110+$9,630 (+8.3%)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

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $94,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (132.5 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
Relocation: Nashville-Davidson, TN to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Nashville-Davidson, TN 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN?

About $94,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (132.5 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 5.2% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.