2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Rocky Mount, NC 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 Rocky Mount, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$123,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+23.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,696
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,215/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

Rocky Mount, NC

COL 101.6
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,481
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,664
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,035
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $123,500
Federal Income Tax -$18,374
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,448
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,678
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,318

EPI family budgets put living costs 23.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rocky Mount, NC, so $100,000 in Rocky Mount goes about as far as $123,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $972 a month in Rocky Mount and $1,530 in Austin, $6,696 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,215 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $43,960 in Rocky Mount 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 Rocky Mount (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$972$1,530+$558+57.4%
Food & Groceries$322$334+$12+3.7%
Transportation$1,074$1,062-$12-1.1%
Healthcare$518$467-$51-9.8%
Other Necessities$365$585+$220+60.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$1,735-$290-14.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$558/mo (57.4%)
Rocky Mount: $972/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$650/mo (55.7%)
Rocky Mount: $1,167/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.29/hr (23.5%)
Rocky Mount: $22.48/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.33/hr (22.3%)
Rocky Mount: $19.45/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 Rocky Mount Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$94,610$117,850+$23,240 (+24.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,600$134,120+$3,520 (+2.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,300$97,890+$15,590 (+18.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$91,010$102,390+$11,380 (+12.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,960$83,120+$6,160 (+8.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$137,120$176,990+$39,870 (+29.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$93,190$129,470+$36,280 (+38.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$118,080$151,760+$33,680 (+28.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,710$60,390+$1,680 (+2.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$133,480$167,180+$33,700 (+25.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$162,220$164,920+$2,700 (+1.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,840$106,600+$17,760 (+20.0%)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

Rocky Mount, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $123,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.6 in Rocky Mount, NC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Rocky Mount, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Rocky Mount, NC
Relocation: Rocky Mount, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Rocky Mount, NC 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 Rocky Mount, NC?

About $123,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.6 in Rocky Mount, NC, 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 Rocky Mount, NC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 23.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rocky Mount, NC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.