2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$124,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+24.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,044
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,044/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

Walla Walla, WA

COL 100.9
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 -$14,316
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,864
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $124,500
Federal Income Tax -$18,614
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,524
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,362
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $78,002

EPI family budgets put living costs 24.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Walla Walla, WA, so $100,000 in Walla Walla goes about as far as $124,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,193 a month in Walla Walla and $1,530 in Austin, $4,044 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 $4,044 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $53,100 in Walla Walla 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 Walla Walla (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,193$1,530+$337+28.2%
Food & Groceries$363$334-$29-8.0%
Transportation$1,084$1,062-$22-2.0%
Healthcare$369$467+$98+26.6%
Other Necessities$429$585+$156+36.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$337/mo (28.2%)
Walla Walla: $1,193/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$256/mo (16.4%)
Walla Walla: $1,561/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.46/hr (24.5%)
Walla Walla: $22.31/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.44/hr (11.4%)
Walla Walla: $21.34/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 Walla Walla Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$106,690$117,850+$11,160 (+10.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$114,920$134,120+$19,200 (+16.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$116,970$97,890-$19,080 (-16.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,910$102,390+$1,480 (+1.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$89,630$83,120-$6,510 (-7.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$152,090$176,990+$24,900 (+16.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$104,590$129,470+$24,880 (+23.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$149,190$151,760+$2,570 (+1.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$82,910$60,390-$22,520 (-27.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$144,410$167,180+$22,770 (+15.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$115,210$106,600-$8,610 (-7.5%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$70,390$62,810-$7,580 (-10.8%)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

Walla Walla, WA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $124,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.9 in Walla Walla, WA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Walla Walla, WA 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 Walla Walla, WA?

About $124,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.9 in Walla Walla, WA, 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 Walla Walla, WA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 24.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Walla Walla, WA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.