2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$124,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+24.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,162
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,920
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,758/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

Owensboro, KY

COL 101.0
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,382
Local / City Tax -$1,780
Net Annual Take-Home $74,018
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,440
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,578
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $124,300
Federal Income Tax -$18,566
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,509
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,225
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,865

EPI family budgets put living costs 24.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Owensboro, KY, so $100,000 in Owensboro goes about as far as $124,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $870 a month in Owensboro and $1,530 in Austin, $7,920 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,162 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,758 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $44,960 in Owensboro 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 Owensboro (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$870$1,530+$660+75.9%
Food & Groceries$313$334+$21+6.7%
Transportation$1,073$1,062-$11-1.0%
Healthcare$487$467-$20-4.1%
Other Necessities$362$585+$223+61.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,165$1,735-$430-19.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$660/mo (75.9%)
Owensboro: $870/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$679/mo (59.7%)
Owensboro: $1,138/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.42/hr (24.3%)
Owensboro: $22.35/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.10/hr (20.8%)
Owensboro: $19.68/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 Owensboro Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$73,460$117,850+$44,390 (+60.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$102,010$134,120+$32,110 (+31.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$79,320$102,390+$23,070 (+29.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,800$83,120+$5,320 (+6.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,480$176,990+$38,510 (+27.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,320$151,760+$32,440 (+27.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$55,030$60,390+$5,360 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$107,190$167,180+$59,990 (+56.0%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,040$164,920+$40,880 (+33.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$73,860$106,600+$32,740 (+44.3%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$91,550$102,980+$11,430 (+12.5%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$64,310$62,810-$1,500 (-2.3%)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

Owensboro, KY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $124,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.0 in Owensboro, KY, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Owensboro, KY 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 Owensboro, KY?

About $124,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.0 in Owensboro, KY, 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 Owensboro, KY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 24.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Owensboro, KY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.