2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Pocatello, ID 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 Pocatello, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$130,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+30.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,192
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,888
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,696/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

Pocatello, ID

COL 96.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,192
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,988
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,472
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,516
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $130,700
Federal Income Tax -$20,102
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,999
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $100,599
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $82,239

EPI family budgets put living costs 30.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Pocatello, ID, so $100,000 in Pocatello goes about as far as $130,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $956 a month in Pocatello and $1,530 in Austin, $6,888 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,192 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,696 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $45,160 in Pocatello 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 Pocatello (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$956$1,530+$574+60.0%
Food & Groceries$367$334-$33-9.0%
Transportation$1,070$1,062-$8-0.7%
Healthcare$407$467+$60+14.7%
Other Necessities$357$585+$228+63.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,084$1,735-$349-16.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$574/mo (60.0%)
Pocatello: $956/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$566/mo (45.2%)
Pocatello: $1,251/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.52/hr (30.7%)
Pocatello: $21.25/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.18/hr (27.8%)
Pocatello: $18.60/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 Pocatello Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$78,100$117,850+$39,750 (+50.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$119,430$134,120+$14,690 (+12.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,780$97,890+$19,110 (+24.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,250$102,390+$20,140 (+24.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$65,330$83,120+$17,790 (+27.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,800$176,990+$43,190 (+32.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$90,470$129,470+$39,000 (+43.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$136,520$151,760+$15,240 (+11.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,540$60,390-$150 (-0.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$109,850$167,180+$57,330 (+52.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$72,570$106,600+$34,030 (+46.9%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,640$102,980+$340 (+0.3%)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

Pocatello, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $130,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.1 in Pocatello, ID, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Pocatello, ID
Relocation: Pocatello, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Pocatello, ID 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 Pocatello, ID?

About $130,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.1 in Pocatello, ID, 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 Pocatello, ID?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 30.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Pocatello, ID. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.