2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Port St. Lucie, FL 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 Port St. Lucie, FL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$108,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+8.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,256
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,256/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

Port St. Lucie, FL

COL 116.0
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$20,616
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,564
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $108,300
Federal Income Tax -$14,996
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,285
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $85,019
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,659

EPI family budgets put living costs 8.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Port St. Lucie, FL, so $100,000 in Port St. Lucie goes about as far as $108,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,718 a month in Port St. Lucie and $1,530 in Austin, $2,256 a year less. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,256 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,490 in Port St. Lucie 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 Port St. Lucie (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,718$1,530-$188-10.9%
Food & Groceries$377$334-$43-11.4%
Transportation$1,017$1,062+$45+4.4%
Healthcare$498$467-$31-6.2%
Other Necessities$524$585+$61+11.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$188/mo (-10.9%)
Port St. Lucie: $1,718/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$252/mo (-12.2%)
Port St. Lucie: $2,069/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.12/hr (8.3%)
Port St. Lucie: $25.65/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.64/hr (7.4%)
Port St. Lucie: $22.14/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 Port St. Lucie Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$94,910$117,850+$22,940 (+24.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$128,510$134,120+$5,610 (+4.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,090$97,890+$15,800 (+19.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,810$102,390+$17,580 (+20.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,430$83,120+$3,690 (+4.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$142,500$176,990+$34,490 (+24.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$115,330$151,760+$36,430 (+31.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$99,790$129,470+$29,680 (+29.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,540$60,390+$1,850 (+3.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$135,730$167,180+$31,450 (+23.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$114,990$164,920+$49,930 (+43.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,280$106,600+$8,320 (+8.5%)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

Port St. Lucie, FL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $108,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (116.0 in Port St. Lucie, FL, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Port St. Lucie, FL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Port St. Lucie, FL
Relocation: Port St. Lucie, FL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Port St. Lucie, FL 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 Port St. Lucie, FL?

About $108,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (116.0 in Port St. Lucie, FL, 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 Port St. Lucie, FL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 8.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Port St. Lucie, FL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.