2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Rapid City, SD 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 Rapid City, SD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$128,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+28.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,244
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,244/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

Rapid City, SD

COL 98.0
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 -$13,116
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,064
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $128,200
Federal Income Tax -$19,502
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,807
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $98,891
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $80,531

EPI family budgets put living costs 28.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rapid City, SD, so $100,000 in Rapid City goes about as far as $128,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,093 a month in Rapid City and $1,530 in Austin, $5,244 a year more. 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 $5,244 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,270 in Rapid City 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 Rapid City (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,093$1,530+$437+40.0%
Food & Groceries$362$334-$28-7.7%
Transportation$1,067$1,062-$5-0.5%
Healthcare$628$467-$161-25.6%
Other Necessities$350$585+$235+67.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$437/mo (40.0%)
Rapid City: $1,093/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$387/mo (27.1%)
Rapid City: $1,430/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.11/hr (28.2%)
Rapid City: $21.66/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.06/hr (14.8%)
Rapid City: $20.72/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 Rapid City Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$130,410$117,850-$12,560 (-9.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$91,840$134,120+$42,280 (+46.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$79,380$97,890+$18,510 (+23.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$74,700$102,390+$27,690 (+37.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,270$83,120+$3,850 (+4.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$163,860$176,990+$13,130 (+8.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$100,420$129,470+$29,050 (+28.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$134,010$151,760+$17,750 (+13.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,160$60,390-$770 (-1.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$160,280$167,180+$6,900 (+4.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$92,710$106,600+$13,890 (+15.0%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,560$102,980-$17,580 (-14.6%)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

Rapid City, SD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $128,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.0 in Rapid City, SD, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Rapid City, SD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Rapid City, SD
Relocation: Rapid City, SD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Rapid City, SD 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 Rapid City, SD?

About $128,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.0 in Rapid City, SD, 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 Rapid City, SD?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 28.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rapid City, SD. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.