2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Rome, GA 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 Rome, GA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$127,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+27.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,242
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,696
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,455/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

Rome, GA

COL 98.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,242
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,939
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,664
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,275
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $127,400
Federal Income Tax -$19,310
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,746
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $98,344
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $79,984

EPI family budgets put living costs 27.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rome, GA, so $100,000 in Rome goes about as far as $127,400 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $972 a month in Rome and $1,530 in Austin, $6,696 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,242 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,455 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $42,670 in Rome 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 Rome (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$972$1,530+$558+57.4%
Food & Groceries$338$334-$4-1.2%
Transportation$1,061$1,062+$1+0.1%
Healthcare$437$467+$30+6.9%
Other Necessities$363$585+$222+61.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,088$1,735-$353-16.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$558/mo (57.4%)
Rome: $972/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$613/mo (50.9%)
Rome: $1,204/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.98/hr (27.4%)
Rome: $21.79/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.34/hr (22.3%)
Rome: $19.44/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 Rome Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$83,750$117,850+$34,100 (+40.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$118,030$134,120+$16,090 (+13.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$83,880$97,890+$14,010 (+16.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$89,320$102,390+$13,070 (+14.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$74,640$83,120+$8,480 (+11.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,900$176,990+$38,090 (+27.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$77,910$129,470+$51,560 (+66.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,660$151,760+$22,100 (+17.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$47,550$60,390+$12,840 (+27.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$139,740$167,180+$27,440 (+19.6%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$148,160$164,920+$16,760 (+11.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$75,390$106,600+$31,210 (+41.4%)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

Rome, GA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $127,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.5 in Rome, GA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Rome, GA
Relocation: Rome, GA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Rome, GA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and 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 Rome, GA?

About $127,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.5 in Rome, GA, 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 Rome, GA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 27.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Rome, GA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.