2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Portland Metro, ME 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 Portland-South Portland, ME to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$96,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-3.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,129
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$4,008
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$9,137/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

Portland-South Portland, ME

COL 130.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,129
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,051
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$22,368
Discretionary Cash Flow $51,683
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $96,200
Federal Income Tax -$12,334
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,359
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,507
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,147

EPI family budgets put living costs 3.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Portland-South Portland, ME, so $100,000 in Portland goes about as far as $96,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,864 a month in Portland and $1,530 in Austin, $4,008 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,129 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $9,137 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,960 in Portland 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 Portland-South Portland (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,864$1,530-$334-17.9%
Food & Groceries$403$334-$69-17.1%
Transportation$1,069$1,062-$7-0.7%
Healthcare$518$467-$51-9.8%
Other Necessities$553$585+$32+5.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,162$1,735-$427-19.8%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$334/mo (-17.9%)
Portland-South Portland: $1,864/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$536/mo (-22.8%)
Portland-South Portland: $2,353/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.10/hr (-3.8%)
Portland-South Portland: $28.87/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$4.17/hr (-14.9%)
Portland-South Portland: $27.95/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 Portland-South Portland Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$105,390$117,850+$12,460 (+11.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$128,710$134,120+$5,410 (+4.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$88,470$97,890+$9,420 (+10.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,530$102,390-$3,140 (-3.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,790$83,120+$3,330 (+4.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$167,100$176,990+$9,890 (+5.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$113,760$129,470+$15,710 (+13.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$174,990$151,760-$23,230 (-13.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$71,660$60,390-$11,270 (-15.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$138,590$167,180+$28,590 (+20.6%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,380$164,920+$29,540 (+21.8%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$64,500$62,810-$1,690 (-2.6%)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

Portland-South Portland, ME to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $96,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (130.5 in Portland-South Portland, ME, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Portland-South Portland, ME to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Portland-South Portland, ME
Relocation: Portland Metro, ME to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Portland-South Portland, ME 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: Portland Metro, ME 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 Portland-South Portland, ME?

About $96,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (130.5 in Portland-South Portland, ME, 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 Portland-South Portland, ME?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 3.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Portland-South Portland, ME. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.