2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Texarkana, TX-AR 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 Texarkana, TX-AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$132,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+32.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,872
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,872/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

Texarkana, TX-AR

COL 94.9
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 -$10,488
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,692
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $132,300
Federal Income Tax -$20,486
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,121
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $101,693
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $83,333

EPI family budgets put living costs 32.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Texarkana, TX-AR, so $100,000 in Texarkana goes about as far as $132,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $874 a month in Texarkana and $1,530 in Austin, $7,872 a year more. 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 $7,872 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $43,200 in Texarkana 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 Texarkana (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$874$1,530+$656+75.1%
Food & Groceries$318$334+$16+5.0%
Transportation$1,060$1,062+$2+0.2%
Healthcare$493$467-$26-5.3%
Other Necessities$362$585+$223+61.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$656/mo (75.1%)
Texarkana: $874/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$699/mo (62.5%)
Texarkana: $1,118/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.78/hr (32.3%)
Texarkana: $20.99/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.71/hr (31.6%)
Texarkana: $18.07/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 Texarkana Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$77,060$117,850+$40,790 (+52.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$116,490$134,120+$17,630 (+15.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$80,610$97,890+$17,280 (+21.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$74,590$102,390+$27,800 (+37.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$69,440$83,120+$13,680 (+19.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,650$176,990+$48,340 (+37.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$91,920$129,470+$37,550 (+40.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,780$151,760+$48,980 (+47.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,140$60,390+$2,250 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$121,770$167,180+$45,410 (+37.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$99,790$164,920+$65,130 (+65.3%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,560$102,980+$17,420 (+20.4%)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

Texarkana, TX-AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $132,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.9 in Texarkana, TX-AR, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Texarkana, TX-AR
Relocation: Texarkana, TX-AR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Texarkana, TX-AR 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 Texarkana, TX-AR?

About $132,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.9 in Texarkana, TX-AR, 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 Texarkana, TX-AR?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 32.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Texarkana, TX-AR. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.