2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Rockford, IL 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 Rockford, IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$123,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+23.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,805
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,608
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,803/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

Rockford, IL

COL 101.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,805
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,375
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,752
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,623
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $123,700
Federal Income Tax -$18,422
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,463
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,815
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,455

EPI family budgets put living costs 23.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rockford, IL, so $100,000 in Rockford goes about as far as $123,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $896 a month in Rockford and $1,530 in Austin, $7,608 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,805 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,803 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,120 in Rockford 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 Rockford (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$896$1,530+$634+70.8%
Food & Groceries$344$334-$10-2.9%
Transportation$1,017$1,062+$45+4.4%
Healthcare$571$467-$104-18.2%
Other Necessities$358$585+$227+63.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$1,735-$400-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$634/mo (70.8%)
Rockford: $896/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$645/mo (55.0%)
Rockford: $1,172/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.32/hr (23.7%)
Rockford: $22.45/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.66/hr (7.5%)
Rockford: $22.12/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 Rockford Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,390$117,850+$19,460 (+19.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$107,640$134,120+$26,480 (+24.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$80,930$97,890+$16,960 (+21.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$94,690$102,390+$7,700 (+8.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,260$83,120+$7,860 (+10.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$146,600$176,990+$30,390 (+20.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,560$151,760+$18,200 (+13.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$84,190$129,470+$45,280 (+53.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$135,650$167,180+$31,530 (+23.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$93,280$60,390-$32,890 (-35.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,440$164,920+$40,480 (+32.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,430$106,600+$10,170 (+10.5%)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

Rockford, IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $123,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.5 in Rockford, IL, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Rockford, IL
Relocation: Rockford, IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Rockford, IL 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 Rockford, IL?

About $123,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.5 in Rockford, IL, 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 Rockford, IL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 23.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rockford, IL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.