2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: San Diego Metro, CA to Austin-Round Rock, 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$74,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-25.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,211
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$9,660
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$15,871/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

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

COL 168.6
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,911
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,969
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$28,020
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,949
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $74,500
Federal Income Tax -$7,560
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,699
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $61,241
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $42,881

EPI family budgets put living costs 25.5% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, so $100,000 in San Diego goes about as far as $74,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,335 a month in San Diego and $1,530 in Austin, $9,660 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,211 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $15,871 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $58,690 in San Diego 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,335$1,530-$805-34.5%
Food & Groceries$369$334-$35-9.5%
Transportation$1,121$1,062-$59-5.3%
Healthcare$481$467-$14-2.9%
Other Necessities$781$585-$196-25.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,253$1,735-$518-23.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$805/mo (-34.5%)
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad: $2,335/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,006/mo (-35.6%)
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad: $2,823/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$9.52/hr (-25.5%)
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad: $37.29/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$8.09/hr (-25.4%)
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad: $31.87/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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$117,850-$1,750 (-1.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$163,270$134,120-$29,150 (-17.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$139,520$97,890-$41,630 (-29.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$117,460$102,390-$15,070 (-12.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$96,340$83,120-$13,220 (-13.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,750$151,760+$32,010 (+26.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,190$106,600+$5,410 (+5.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$206,740$176,990-$29,750 (-14.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,600$129,470+$1,870 (+1.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,160$60,390-$15,770 (-20.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$174,210$167,180-$7,030 (-4.0%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,080$126,110-$11,970 (-8.7%)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

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $74,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (168.6 in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Relocation: San Diego Metro, CA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: San Diego Metro, CA to Austin-Round Rock, TX compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

About $74,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (168.6 in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 25.5% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.