2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Rochester, MN 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 Rochester, MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$111,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+11.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,277
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,648
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,629/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

Rochester, MN

COL 112.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,277
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,903
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,712
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,191
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $111,900
Federal Income Tax -$15,788
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,560
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $87,552
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,192

EPI family budgets put living costs 11.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rochester, MN, so $100,000 in Rochester goes about as far as $111,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,226 a month in Rochester and $1,530 in Austin, $3,648 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,277 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,629 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $60,620 in Rochester 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 Rochester (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,226$1,530+$304+24.8%
Food & Groceries$371$334-$37-10.0%
Transportation$1,121$1,062-$59-5.3%
Healthcare$557$467-$90-16.2%
Other Necessities$422$585+$163+38.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,175$1,735-$440-20.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$304/mo (24.8%)
Rochester: $1,226/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$395/mo (27.8%)
Rochester: $1,422/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.96/hr (11.9%)
Rochester: $24.81/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.74/hr (-6.8%)
Rochester: $25.52/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 Rochester Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,650$117,850+$32,200 (+37.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,450$134,120-$330 (-0.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,660$97,890-$3,770 (-3.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,270$102,390-$3,880 (-3.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,960$83,120-$840 (-1.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$177,620$176,990-$630 (-0.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$106,300$129,470+$23,170 (+21.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$127,500$151,760+$24,260 (+19.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$79,650$60,390-$19,260 (-24.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$158,570$167,180+$8,610 (+5.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$175,280$164,920-$10,360 (-5.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$108,560$106,600-$1,960 (-1.8%)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

Rochester, MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $111,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (112.2 in Rochester, MN, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Rochester, MN
Relocation: Rochester, MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Rochester, MN 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 Rochester, MN?

About $111,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (112.2 in Rochester, MN, 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 Rochester, MN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 11.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rochester, MN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.