2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Scranton-Wilkes, PA 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 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$134,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+34.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,626
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,088
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,538/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

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA

COL 93.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,070
Local / City Tax -$3,556
Net Annual Take-Home $72,554
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,272
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,282
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $134,800
Federal Income Tax -$21,086
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,312
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $103,402
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $85,042

EPI family budgets put living costs 34.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA, so $100,000 in Scranton goes about as far as $134,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,106 a month in Scranton and $1,530 in Austin, $5,088 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,626 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,538 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,330 in Scranton 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 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,106$1,530+$424+38.3%
Food & Groceries$350$334-$16-4.6%
Transportation$1,012$1,062+$50+4.9%
Healthcare$424$467+$43+10.1%
Other Necessities$351$585+$234+66.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,287$1,735-$552-24.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$424/mo (38.3%)
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre: $1,106/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$454/mo (33.3%)
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre: $1,363/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.17/hr (34.8%)
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre: $20.60/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.00/hr (20.2%)
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre: $19.78/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 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$93,820$117,850+$24,030 (+25.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$119,960$134,120+$14,160 (+11.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,650$97,890+$15,240 (+18.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$91,820$102,390+$10,570 (+11.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$70,480$83,120+$12,640 (+17.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,700$176,990+$41,290 (+30.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$116,120$151,760+$35,640 (+30.7%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$93,830$129,470+$35,640 (+38.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$69,540$60,390-$9,150 (-13.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$124,920$167,180+$42,260 (+33.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$127,000$164,920+$37,920 (+29.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,150$106,600+$13,450 (+14.4%)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

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $134,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.1 in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
Relocation: Scranton-Wilkes, PA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Scranton-Wilkes, PA 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 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA?

About $134,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.1 in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA, 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 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 34.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.