2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Omaha, NE-IA 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 Omaha, NE-IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$115,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+15.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,732
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$62/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

Omaha, NE-IA

COL 108.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,670
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,510
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,628
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,882
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $115,900
Federal Income Tax -$16,668
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,866
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $90,366
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $72,006

EPI family budgets put living costs 15.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Omaha, NE-IA, so $100,000 in Omaha goes about as far as $115,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,219 a month in Omaha and $1,530 in Austin, $3,732 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,670 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $62 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,660 in Omaha 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 Omaha (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,219$1,530+$311+25.5%
Food & Groceries$359$334-$25-7.0%
Transportation$1,069$1,062-$7-0.7%
Healthcare$513$467-$46-9.0%
Other Necessities$419$585+$166+39.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,041$1,735-$306-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$311/mo (25.5%)
Omaha: $1,219/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$367/mo (25.3%)
Omaha: $1,450/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.81/hr (15.9%)
Omaha: $23.96/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.84/hr (8.4%)
Omaha: $21.94/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 Omaha Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$90,620$117,850+$27,230 (+30.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$125,220$134,120+$8,900 (+7.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,600$97,890+$13,290 (+15.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,460$102,390+$19,930 (+24.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,030$83,120+$6,090 (+7.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$145,500$176,990+$31,490 (+21.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$130,100$151,760+$21,660 (+16.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$101,730$129,470+$27,740 (+27.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,440$60,390-$2,050 (-3.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$140,390$167,180+$26,790 (+19.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$112,870$164,920+$52,050 (+46.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$81,740$106,600+$24,860 (+30.4%)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

Omaha, NE-IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $115,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.3 in Omaha, NE-IA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Omaha, NE-IA
Relocation: Omaha, NE-IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Omaha, NE-IA 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 Omaha, NE-IA?

About $115,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.3 in Omaha, NE-IA, 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 Omaha, NE-IA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 15.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Omaha, NE-IA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.