2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$131,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+31.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,012
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$6,012/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

Waco, TX

COL 95.7
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 -$12,348
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,832
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $131,300
Federal Income Tax -$20,246
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,044
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $101,010
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $82,650

EPI family budgets put living costs 31.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Waco, TX, so $100,000 in Waco goes about as far as $131,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,029 a month in Waco and $1,530 in Austin, $6,012 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 $6,012 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,020 in Waco 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 Waco (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,029$1,530+$501+48.7%
Food & Groceries$301$334+$33+11.0%
Transportation$1,047$1,062+$15+1.4%
Healthcare$425$467+$42+9.9%
Other Necessities$387$585+$198+51.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$501/mo (48.7%)
Waco: $1,029/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$520/mo (40.1%)
Waco: $1,297/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.62/hr (31.3%)
Waco: $21.15/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.07/hr (27.1%)
Waco: $18.71/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 Waco Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$92,990$117,850+$24,860 (+26.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,080$134,120+$11,040 (+9.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$92,890$97,890+$5,000 (+5.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$78,580$102,390+$23,810 (+30.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,140$83,120+$6,980 (+9.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$141,810$176,990+$35,180 (+24.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,820$151,760+$33,940 (+28.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$89,190$129,470+$40,280 (+45.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$48,880$60,390+$11,510 (+23.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$134,010$167,180+$33,170 (+24.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,880$164,920+$38,040 (+30.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,100$106,600+$18,500 (+21.0%)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

Waco, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $131,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (95.7 in Waco, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Waco, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and 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 Waco, TX?

About $131,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (95.7 in Waco, TX, 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 Waco, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 31.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Waco, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.