2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Pinehurst Metro, NC 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 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$113,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+13.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,968
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,487/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

Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC

COL 111.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,481
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,392
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,307
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $113,000
Federal Income Tax -$16,030
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,645
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $88,326
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,966

EPI family budgets put living costs 13.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC, so $100,000 in Pinehurst goes about as far as $113,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,116 a month in Pinehurst and $1,530 in Austin, $4,968 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,487 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $42,920 in Pinehurst 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 Pinehurst-Southern Pines (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,116$1,530+$414+37.1%
Food & Groceries$396$334-$62-15.7%
Transportation$1,088$1,062-$26-2.4%
Healthcare$510$467-$43-8.4%
Other Necessities$429$585+$156+36.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$1,735-$290-14.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$414/mo (37.1%)
Pinehurst-Southern Pines: $1,116/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$594/mo (48.6%)
Pinehurst-Southern Pines: $1,223/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.19/hr (13.0%)
Pinehurst-Southern Pines: $24.58/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.48/hr (11.6%)
Pinehurst-Southern Pines: $21.30/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 Pinehurst-Southern Pines Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$94,400$117,850+$23,450 (+24.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,240$134,120+$3,880 (+3.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,520$97,890+$16,370 (+20.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$95,280$102,390+$7,110 (+7.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,750$83,120+$7,370 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$137,460$176,990+$39,530 (+28.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$106,200$129,470+$23,270 (+21.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,810$151,760+$43,950 (+40.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$45,650$60,390+$14,740 (+32.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$146,830$167,180+$20,350 (+13.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$148,630$164,920+$16,290 (+11.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$73,570$106,600+$33,030 (+44.9%)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

Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $113,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.2 in Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC
Relocation: Pinehurst Metro, NC to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 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: Pinehurst Metro, NC 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 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC?

About $113,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.2 in Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC, 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 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 13.0% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.