2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Phoenix-Mesa, AZ 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$100,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+0.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$2,098
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$444
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,654/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

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

COL 124.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$2,098
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $77,083
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$17,916
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,167
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $100,600
Federal Income Tax -$13,302
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,696
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,602
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,242

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, so $100,000 in Phoenix goes about as far as $100,600 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,493 a month in Phoenix and $1,530 in Austin, $444 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,098 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,654 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,380 in Phoenix 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,493$1,530+$37+2.5%
Food & Groceries$343$334-$9-2.6%
Transportation$1,021$1,062+$41+4.0%
Healthcare$402$467+$65+16.2%
Other Necessities$582$585+$3+0.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,910$1,735-$175-9.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$37/mo (2.5%)
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler: $1,493/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$83/mo (4.8%)
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler: $1,734/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.18/hr (0.7%)
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler: $27.59/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.17/hr (-0.7%)
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler: $23.95/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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,610$117,850+$19,240 (+19.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,830$97,890-$2,940 (-2.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$131,750$134,120+$2,370 (+1.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,780$102,390+$1,610 (+1.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$80,820$83,120+$2,300 (+2.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,210$60,390-$820 (-1.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$169,720$176,990+$7,270 (+4.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$148,320$151,760+$3,440 (+2.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$94,900$106,600+$11,700 (+12.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$145,940$167,180+$21,240 (+14.6%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$63,750$62,810-$940 (-1.5%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$118,350$102,980-$15,370 (-13.0%)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

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $100,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (124.8 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
Relocation: Phoenix-Mesa, AZ to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Phoenix-Mesa, AZ 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?

About $100,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (124.8 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 0.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.