2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: State College, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, 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 State College, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$105,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+5.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,372
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,976
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,396/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

State College, PA

COL 118.6
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,070
Local / City Tax -$2,302
Net Annual Take-Home $73,808
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,384
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,424
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $105,900
Federal Income Tax -$14,468
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,101
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $83,331
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,971

EPI family budgets put living costs 5.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in State College, PA, so $100,000 in State College goes about as far as $105,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,282 a month in State College and $1,530 in Austin, $2,976 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,372 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,396 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,220 in State College 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 State College (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,282$1,530+$248+19.3%
Food & Groceries$375$334-$41-10.9%
Transportation$1,108$1,062-$46-4.2%
Healthcare$463$467+$4+0.9%
Other Necessities$497$585+$88+17.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,183$1,735-$448-20.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$248/mo (19.3%)
State College: $1,282/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$280/mo (18.2%)
State College: $1,537/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.54/hr (5.9%)
State College: $26.23/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.15/hr (0.6%)
State College: $23.63/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 State College Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$91,120$117,850+$26,730 (+29.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,620$134,120+$30,500 (+29.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,480$97,890+$16,410 (+20.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$81,820$102,390+$20,570 (+25.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$73,040$83,120+$10,080 (+13.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,410$176,990+$48,580 (+37.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$97,920$129,470+$31,550 (+32.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,200$151,760+$42,560 (+39.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,600$60,390+$2,790 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$125,550$167,180+$41,630 (+33.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$122,660$164,920+$42,260 (+34.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$60,890$106,600+$45,710 (+75.1%)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

State College, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $105,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (118.6 in State College, PA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to State College, PA
Relocation: State College, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

State College, PA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in State College, PA?

About $105,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (118.6 in State College, 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 State College, PA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 5.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in State College, PA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.