2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Raleigh-Cary, NC 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 Raleigh-Cary, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$92,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-7.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$264
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,745/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

Raleigh-Cary, NC

COL 136.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,481
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,624
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,075
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $92,200
Federal Income Tax -$11,454
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,053
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,693
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,333

EPI family budgets put living costs 7.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Raleigh-Cary, NC, so $100,000 in Raleigh goes about as far as $92,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,552 a month in Raleigh and $1,530 in Austin, $264 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,745 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,990 in Raleigh 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 Raleigh-Cary (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,552$1,530-$22-1.4%
Food & Groceries$382$334-$48-12.6%
Transportation$1,109$1,062-$47-4.2%
Healthcare$451$467+$16+3.5%
Other Necessities$595$585-$10-1.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$1,735-$290-14.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$22/mo (-1.4%)
Raleigh-Cary: $1,552/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$128/mo (7.6%)
Raleigh-Cary: $1,689/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.36/hr (-7.8%)
Raleigh-Cary: $30.13/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.64/hr (-2.6%)
Raleigh-Cary: $24.42/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 Raleigh-Cary Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$114,940$117,850+$2,910 (+2.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$132,770$134,120+$1,350 (+1.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,830$97,890+$13,060 (+15.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,280$102,390+$110 (+0.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$81,950$83,120+$1,170 (+1.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,960$176,990+$3,030 (+1.7%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$110,030$129,470+$19,440 (+17.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$163,520$151,760-$11,760 (-7.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$56,800$60,390+$3,590 (+6.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$163,130$167,180+$4,050 (+2.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,820$106,600+$9,780 (+10.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$167,640$164,920-$2,720 (-1.6%)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

Raleigh-Cary, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $92,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.2 in Raleigh-Cary, NC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Raleigh-Cary, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Raleigh-Cary, NC
Relocation: Raleigh-Cary, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Raleigh-Cary, NC 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 Raleigh-Cary, NC?

About $92,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.2 in Raleigh-Cary, NC, 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 Raleigh-Cary, NC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 7.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Raleigh-Cary, NC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.