2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Seattle-Tacoma, WA to San Antonio Metro, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA to San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$64,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-35.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$11,808
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$11,808/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

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

COL 158.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$26,160
Discretionary Cash Flow $53,020
Target Market
Destination Location

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

COL 102.4
Gross Parity Income $64,500
Federal Income Tax -$5,560
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$4,934
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $54,006
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,352
Discretionary Cash Flow $39,654

EPI family budgets put living costs 35.5% lower in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX than in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, so $100,000 in Seattle goes about as far as $64,500 in San Antonio. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,180 a month in Seattle and $1,196 in San Antonio, $11,808 a year less. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $11,808 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $72,610 in Seattle and $47,010 in San Antonio.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (Monthly) San Antonio-New Braunfels (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,180$1,196-$984-45.1%
Food & Groceries$421$296-$125-29.7%
Transportation$1,020$1,029+$9+0.9%
Healthcare$398$433+$35+8.8%
Other Necessities$826$438-$388-47.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$984/mo (-45.1%)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: $2,180/mo San Antonio-New Braunfels: $1,196/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,108/mo (-43.5%)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: $2,549/mo San Antonio-New Braunfels: $1,441/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$12.47/hr (-35.5%)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: $35.12/hr San Antonio-New Braunfels: $22.65/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$11.04/hr (-35.5%)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: $31.10/hr San Antonio-New Braunfels: $20.06/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Median San Antonio-New Braunfels Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$167,280$128,430-$38,850 (-23.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$128,260$94,370-$33,890 (-26.4%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$146,030$99,790-$46,240 (-31.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$130,380$92,130-$38,250 (-29.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$99,370$78,650-$20,720 (-20.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$126,340$95,760-$30,580 (-24.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$214,680$163,490-$51,190 (-23.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$101,780$57,010-$44,770 (-44.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$136,120$110,440-$25,680 (-18.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$185,550$144,710-$40,840 (-22.0%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$76,800$47,040-$29,760 (-38.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$184,320$124,750-$59,570 (-32.3%)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

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA to San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Relocation FAQs

About $64,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (158.8 in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 102.4 in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA to San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX to Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Relocation: Seattle-Tacoma, WA to San Antonio Metro, TX Overview

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA to San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Seattle-Tacoma, WA to San Antonio Metro, 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 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX to match $100,000 in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?

About $64,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (158.8 in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 102.4 in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX cheaper than Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 35.5% lower in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX than in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.