2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: San Jose-Sunnyvale, 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$63,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-36.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,211
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$14,976
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$21,187/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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

COL 198.6
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 -$33,336
Discretionary Cash Flow $39,633
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $63,200
Federal Income Tax -$5,404
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$4,835
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $52,961
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $34,601

EPI family budgets put living costs 36.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, so $100,000 in San Jose goes about as far as $63,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,778 a month in San Jose and $1,530 in Austin, $14,976 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 $21,187 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $84,050 in San Jose 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,778$1,530-$1,248-44.9%
Food & Groceries$414$334-$80-19.3%
Transportation$1,139$1,062-$77-6.8%
Healthcare$503$467-$36-7.2%
Other Necessities$938$585-$353-37.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,253$1,735-$518-23.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,248/mo (-44.9%)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $2,778/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,455/mo (-44.5%)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $3,272/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$16.15/hr (-36.8%)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $43.92/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$16.40/hr (-40.8%)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $40.18/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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$213,110$134,120-$78,990 (-37.1%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$163,860$117,850-$46,010 (-28.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$216,740$97,890-$118,850 (-54.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$291,660$176,990-$114,670 (-39.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$135,120$102,390-$32,730 (-24.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$184,430$129,470-$54,960 (-29.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$121,700$83,120-$38,580 (-31.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$201,780$151,760-$50,020 (-24.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$136,670$106,600-$30,070 (-22.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$225,280$167,180-$58,100 (-25.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$231,370$164,920-$66,450 (-28.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$91,030$60,390-$30,640 (-33.7%)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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $63,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (198.6 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Relocation: San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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 Jose-Sunnyvale, 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

About $63,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (198.6 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, 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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 36.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.