2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Portland Metro, OR-WA 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-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$95,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-5.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$7,255
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,236
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$8,491/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-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

COL 132.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$7,155
Local / City Tax -$100
Net Annual Take-Home $71,925
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,596
Discretionary Cash Flow $52,329
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $95,000
Federal Income Tax -$12,070
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,268
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,663
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,303

EPI family budgets put living costs 5.0% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA, so $100,000 in Portland goes about as far as $95,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,633 a month in Portland and $1,530 in Austin, $1,236 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $7,255 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $8,491 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $60,690 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-Vancouver-Hillsboro (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,633$1,530-$103-6.3%
Food & Groceries$409$334-$75-18.3%
Transportation$1,051$1,062+$11+1.0%
Healthcare$461$467+$6+1.3%
Other Necessities$632$585-$47-7.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,340$1,735-$605-25.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$103/mo (-6.3%)
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: $1,633/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$61/mo (-3.2%)
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: $1,878/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.47/hr (-5.0%)
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: $29.24/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.26/hr (-8.7%)
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro: $26.04/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-Vancouver-Hillsboro Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,050$117,850-$3,200 (-2.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$156,000$134,120-$21,880 (-14.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$130,310$97,890-$32,420 (-24.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$108,340$102,390-$5,950 (-5.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$92,200$83,120-$9,080 (-9.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$183,720$176,990-$6,730 (-3.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$105,090$60,390-$44,700 (-42.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$162,640$151,760-$10,880 (-6.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$164,680$167,180+$2,500 (+1.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$103,990$129,470+$25,480 (+24.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$103,470$106,600+$3,130 (+3.0%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,610$164,920-$7,690 (-4.5%)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

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $95,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (132.2 in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Relocation: Portland Metro, OR-WA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Portland Metro, OR-WA 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-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

About $95,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (132.2 in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA, 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-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 5.0% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.