2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Topeka, KS 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 Topeka, KS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$130,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+30.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,780
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,404
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,624/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

Topeka, KS

COL 96.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,780
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,400
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,956
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,444
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $130,400
Federal Income Tax -$20,030
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,976
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $100,394
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $82,034

EPI family budgets put living costs 30.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Topeka, KS, so $100,000 in Topeka goes about as far as $130,400 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $913 a month in Topeka and $1,530 in Austin, $7,404 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,780 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,624 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,540 in Topeka 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 Topeka (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$913$1,530+$617+67.6%
Food & Groceries$349$334-$15-4.3%
Transportation$1,056$1,062+$6+0.6%
Healthcare$492$467-$25-5.1%
Other Necessities$340$585+$245+72.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,133$1,735-$398-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$617/mo (67.6%)
Topeka: $913/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$645/mo (55.0%)
Topeka: $1,172/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.47/hr (30.4%)
Topeka: $21.30/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.39/hr (22.6%)
Topeka: $19.39/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 Topeka Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,080$117,850+$32,770 (+38.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$111,870$134,120+$22,250 (+19.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,820$97,890+$16,070 (+19.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,000$102,390+$2,390 (+2.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,280$83,120+$6,840 (+9.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$143,320$176,990+$33,670 (+23.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$154,970$151,760-$3,210 (-2.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$97,680$129,470+$31,790 (+32.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$65,520$60,390-$5,130 (-7.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$66,710$106,600+$39,890 (+59.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$145,950$167,180+$21,230 (+14.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$205,310$164,920-$40,390 (-19.7%)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

Topeka, KS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $130,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.3 in Topeka, KS, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Topeka, KS
Relocation: Topeka, KS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

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

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

About $130,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.3 in Topeka, KS, 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 Topeka, KS?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 30.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Topeka, KS. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.