2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$105,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+5.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,500
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,056
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$444/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

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT

COL 119.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,500
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,680
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,304
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,376
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $105,100
Federal Income Tax -$14,292
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,040
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $82,768
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,408

EPI family budgets put living costs 5.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, so $100,000 in Provo goes about as far as $105,100 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,192 a month in Provo and $1,530 in Austin, $4,056 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,500 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $444 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,010 in Provo 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,192$1,530+$338+28.4%
Food & Groceries$343$334-$9-2.6%
Transportation$1,136$1,062-$74-6.5%
Healthcare$519$467-$52-10.0%
Other Necessities$468$585+$117+25.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,110$1,735-$375-17.8%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$338/mo (28.4%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $1,192/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$454/mo (33.3%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $1,363/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.35/hr (5.1%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $26.42/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.39/hr (6.2%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $22.39/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 Provo-Orem-Lehi Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$95,790$117,850+$22,060 (+23.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$131,210$134,120+$2,910 (+2.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,780$97,890+$16,110 (+19.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,180$102,390+$14,210 (+16.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,700$83,120+$7,420 (+9.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,730$176,990+$8,260 (+4.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,210$151,760+$16,550 (+12.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$93,100$129,470+$36,370 (+39.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,860$60,390-$470 (-0.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,630$164,920+$6,290 (+4.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$154,990$167,180+$12,190 (+7.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$63,690$106,600+$42,910 (+67.4%)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

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $105,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.5 in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
Relocation: Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?

About $105,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.5 in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 5.1% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.