2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 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 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$126,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+26.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$2,098
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,360
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,263/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

Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ

COL 99.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$2,098
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $77,083
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,000
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,083
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $126,300
Federal Income Tax -$19,046
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,662
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $97,592
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $79,232

EPI family budgets put living costs 26.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ, so $100,000 in Sierra Vista goes about as far as $126,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,000 a month in Sierra Vista and $1,530 in Austin, $6,360 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,098 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,263 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,050 in Sierra Vista 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 Sierra Vista-Douglas (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,000$1,530+$530+53.0%
Food & Groceries$325$334+$9+2.8%
Transportation$1,100$1,062-$38-3.5%
Healthcare$505$467-$38-7.5%
Other Necessities$366$585+$219+59.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,910$1,735-$175-9.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$530/mo (53.0%)
Sierra Vista-Douglas: $1,000/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$664/mo (57.6%)
Sierra Vista-Douglas: $1,153/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.78/hr (26.3%)
Sierra Vista-Douglas: $21.99/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.62/hr (18.0%)
Sierra Vista-Douglas: $20.16/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 Sierra Vista-Douglas Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$78,740$117,850+$39,110 (+49.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$115,890$134,120+$18,230 (+15.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$85,380$97,890+$12,510 (+14.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,610$102,390+$17,780 (+21.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,780$83,120+$7,340 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$156,890$176,990+$20,100 (+12.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$118,120$129,470+$11,350 (+9.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,800$151,760+$17,960 (+13.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,960$60,390+$2,430 (+4.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$102,010$167,180+$65,170 (+63.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$94,850$106,600+$11,750 (+12.4%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,350$102,980+$4,630 (+4.7%)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

Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $126,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.5 in Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ
Relocation: Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 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: Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 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 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ?

About $126,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.5 in Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ, 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 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 26.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.