2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$126,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+26.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,936
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,360
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,576/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

Roanoke, VA

COL 99.1
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 -$15,000
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,244
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $126,700
Federal Income Tax -$19,142
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,693
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $97,865
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $79,505

EPI family budgets put living costs 26.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Roanoke, VA, so $100,000 in Roanoke goes about as far as $126,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,250 a month in Roanoke and $1,530 in Austin, $3,360 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 $1,576 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,140 in Roanoke 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 Roanoke (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,250$1,530+$280+22.4%
Food & Groceries$350$334-$16-4.6%
Transportation$1,012$1,062+$50+4.9%
Healthcare$403$467+$64+15.9%
Other Necessities$386$585+$199+51.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,146$1,735-$411-19.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$280/mo (22.4%)
Roanoke: $1,250/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$353/mo (24.1%)
Roanoke: $1,464/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.85/hr (26.7%)
Roanoke: $21.92/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.11/hr (20.9%)
Roanoke: $19.67/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 Roanoke Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,140$117,850+$19,710 (+20.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$121,110$134,120+$13,010 (+10.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$80,090$97,890+$17,800 (+22.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$91,170$102,390+$11,220 (+12.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,240$83,120+$5,880 (+7.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,910$176,990+$12,080 (+7.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$103,520$129,470+$25,950 (+25.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,380$151,760+$13,380 (+9.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,200$60,390+$2,190 (+3.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$158,030$167,180+$9,150 (+5.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$165,000$164,920-$80 (-0.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,220$106,600+$22,380 (+26.6%)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

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

About $126,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.1 in Roanoke, VA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Roanoke, 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 Roanoke, VA?

About $126,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.1 in Roanoke, 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 Roanoke, VA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 26.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Roanoke, VA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.