2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$110,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+10.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,860
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,788
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$72/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, NY

COL 113.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,860
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,320
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,572
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,748
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $110,600
Federal Income Tax -$15,502
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,461
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $86,637
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,277

EPI family budgets put living costs 10.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rochester, NY, so $100,000 in Rochester goes about as far as $110,600 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,131 a month in Rochester and $1,530 in Austin, $4,788 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $72 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,210 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)$1,131$1,530+$399+35.3%
Food & Groceries$372$334-$38-10.2%
Transportation$1,033$1,062+$29+2.8%
Healthcare$600$467-$133-22.2%
Other Necessities$433$585+$152+35.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,140$1,735-$405-18.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$399/mo (35.3%)
Rochester: $1,131/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$401/mo (28.3%)
Rochester: $1,416/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.66/hr (10.6%)
Rochester: $25.11/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.83/hr (-7.1%)
Rochester: $25.61/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$103,690$117,850+$14,160 (+13.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$122,770$134,120+$11,350 (+9.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$86,570$97,890+$11,320 (+13.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$103,520$102,390-$1,130 (-1.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$80,890$83,120+$2,230 (+2.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$170,000$176,990+$6,990 (+4.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$165,140$151,760-$13,380 (-8.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$96,750$129,470+$32,720 (+33.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$77,310$60,390-$16,920 (-21.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,800$167,180-$620 (-0.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$149,440$164,920+$15,480 (+10.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,070$106,600+$9,530 (+9.8%)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, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $110,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (113.5 in Rochester, NY, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Rochester, NY 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, NY?

About $110,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (113.5 in Rochester, NY, 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, NY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 10.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rochester, NY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.