2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Richmond, VA 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 Richmond, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$95,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-4.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,936
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$156
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$4,780/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

Richmond, VA

COL 131.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,936
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,244
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,204
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,040
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $95,600
Federal Income Tax -$12,202
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,313
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,085
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,725

EPI family budgets put living costs 4.4% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Richmond, VA, so $100,000 in Richmond goes about as far as $95,600 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,517 a month in Richmond and $1,530 in Austin, $156 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,936 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,780 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,460 in Richmond 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 Richmond (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,517$1,530+$13+0.9%
Food & Groceries$376$334-$42-11.2%
Transportation$1,089$1,062-$27-2.5%
Healthcare$389$467+$78+20.1%
Other Necessities$579$585+$6+1.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,146$1,735-$411-19.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$13/mo (0.9%)
Richmond: $1,517/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$166/mo (10.1%)
Richmond: $1,651/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.27/hr (-4.4%)
Richmond: $29.04/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.31/hr (1.3%)
Richmond: $23.47/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 Richmond Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$108,670$117,850+$9,180 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$132,120$134,120+$2,000 (+1.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$93,580$97,890+$4,310 (+4.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,170$102,390+$220 (+0.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$84,220$83,120-$1,100 (-1.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$180,640$176,990-$3,650 (-2.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$95,660$106,600+$10,940 (+11.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$111,070$129,470+$18,400 (+16.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,590$151,760-$16,830 (-10.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,350$60,390-$960 (-1.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$173,140$167,180-$5,960 (-3.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$174,130$164,920-$9,210 (-5.3%)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

Richmond, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $95,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (131.3 in Richmond, VA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Richmond, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Richmond, VA
Relocation: Richmond, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Richmond, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Richmond, VA?

About $95,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (131.3 in Richmond, VA, 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 Richmond, VA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 4.4% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Richmond, VA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.