2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$111,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+11.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,612
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,612/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

Odessa, TX

COL 112.8
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 -$14,748
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,432
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $111,400
Federal Income Tax -$15,678
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,522
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $87,200
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,840

EPI family budgets put living costs 11.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Odessa, TX, so $100,000 in Odessa goes about as far as $111,400 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,229 a month in Odessa and $1,530 in Austin, $3,612 a year more. 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 $3,612 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,590 in Odessa 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 Odessa (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,229$1,530+$301+24.5%
Food & Groceries$310$334+$24+7.7%
Transportation$1,078$1,062-$16-1.5%
Healthcare$461$467+$6+1.3%
Other Necessities$495$585+$90+18.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$301/mo (24.5%)
Odessa: $1,229/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$295/mo (19.4%)
Odessa: $1,522/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.83/hr (11.3%)
Odessa: $24.94/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.63/hr (12.4%)
Odessa: $21.15/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 Odessa Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$104,100$117,850+$13,750 (+13.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$127,080$134,120+$7,040 (+5.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,370$97,890+$16,520 (+20.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,590$102,390+$3,800 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$80,260$83,120+$2,860 (+3.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$146,830$176,990+$30,160 (+20.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,370$151,760+$26,390 (+21.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$84,750$129,470+$44,720 (+52.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,110$60,390+$3,280 (+5.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$152,200$167,180+$14,980 (+9.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,420$164,920+$31,500 (+23.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$122,080$106,600-$15,480 (-12.7%)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

Odessa, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $111,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (112.8 in Odessa, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Odessa, TX 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 Odessa, TX?

About $111,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (112.8 in Odessa, TX, 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 Odessa, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 11.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Odessa, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.