2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$104,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+4.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,805
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$336
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$7,141/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

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

COL 119.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,070
Local / City Tax -$3,735
Net Annual Take-Home $72,375
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,696
Discretionary Cash Flow $53,679
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $104,700
Federal Income Tax -$14,204
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,010
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $82,486
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,126

EPI family budgets put living costs 4.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, so $100,000 in Philadelphia goes about as far as $104,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,558 a month in Philadelphia and $1,530 in Austin, $336 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,805 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,141 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,310 in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,558$1,530-$28-1.8%
Food & Groceries$388$334-$54-13.9%
Transportation$1,028$1,062+$34+3.3%
Healthcare$374$467+$93+24.9%
Other Necessities$546$585+$39+7.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,302$1,735-$567-24.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$28/mo (-1.8%)
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: $1,558/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$43/mo (-2.3%)
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: $1,860/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.26/hr (4.8%)
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: $26.51/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.47/hr (-1.9%)
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: $24.25/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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,630$117,850-$3,780 (-3.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,180$97,890-$3,290 (-3.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,040$134,120+$1,080 (+0.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,990$83,120-$2,870 (-3.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$104,160$102,390-$1,770 (-1.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,470$176,990+$3,520 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,920$167,180+$260 (+0.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,920$106,600+$5,680 (+5.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$156,500$151,760-$4,740 (-3.0%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$122,920$126,110+$3,190 (+2.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$121,990$129,470+$7,480 (+6.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$74,590$60,390-$14,200 (-19.0%)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

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $104,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.9 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Relocation: Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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: Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?

About $104,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.9 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 4.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.