2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Staunton Metro, VA 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 Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$112,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+12.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,936
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,796
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$860/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

Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA

COL 111.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,936
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,244
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,564
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,680
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $112,400
Federal Income Tax -$15,898
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,599
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $87,903
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,543

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA, so $100,000 in Staunton goes about as far as $112,400 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,047 a month in Staunton and $1,530 in Austin, $5,796 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,936 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $860 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,040 in Staunton 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 Staunton-Stuarts Draft (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,047$1,530+$483+46.1%
Food & Groceries$345$334-$11-3.2%
Transportation$1,097$1,062-$35-3.2%
Healthcare$403$467+$64+15.9%
Other Necessities$451$585+$134+29.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,146$1,735-$411-19.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$483/mo (46.1%)
Staunton-Stuarts Draft: $1,047/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$618/mo (51.5%)
Staunton-Stuarts Draft: $1,199/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.07/hr (12.4%)
Staunton-Stuarts Draft: $24.70/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.22/hr (15.7%)
Staunton-Stuarts Draft: $20.56/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 Staunton-Stuarts Draft Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,450$117,850+$21,400 (+22.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$115,610$134,120+$18,510 (+16.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$92,390$97,890+$5,500 (+6.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$89,020$102,390+$13,370 (+15.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,300$83,120+$5,820 (+7.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$160,610$176,990+$16,380 (+10.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$146,080$151,760+$5,680 (+3.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,150$60,390-$1,760 (-2.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$137,420$167,180+$29,760 (+21.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$91,790$106,600+$14,810 (+16.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,750$102,980-$770 (-0.7%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$51,250$62,810+$11,560 (+22.6%)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

Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $112,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.7 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA
Relocation: Staunton Metro, VA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA 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: Staunton Metro, VA 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 Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA?

About $112,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.7 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA, 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 Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.