2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$128,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+28.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,428
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,080
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,652/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

Wausau, WI

COL 97.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,428
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,752
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,280
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,472
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $128,600
Federal Income Tax -$19,598
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,838
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $99,164
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $80,804

EPI family budgets put living costs 28.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Wausau, WI, so $100,000 in Wausau goes about as far as $128,600 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $940 a month in Wausau and $1,530 in Austin, $7,080 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,428 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,652 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,790 in Wausau 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 Wausau (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$940$1,530+$590+62.8%
Food & Groceries$350$334-$16-4.6%
Transportation$1,134$1,062-$72-6.3%
Healthcare$497$467-$30-6.0%
Other Necessities$333$585+$252+75.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,104$1,735-$369-17.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$590/mo (62.8%)
Wausau: $940/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$600/mo (49.3%)
Wausau: $1,217/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.17/hr (28.6%)
Wausau: $21.60/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.27/hr (10.6%)
Wausau: $21.51/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 Wausau Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,550$117,850+$10,300 (+9.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$98,650$134,120+$35,470 (+36.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$89,190$97,890+$8,700 (+9.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,940$102,390+$13,450 (+15.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,680$83,120+$5,440 (+7.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,620$176,990+$47,370 (+36.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$75,890$129,470+$53,580 (+70.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,230$151,760+$28,530 (+23.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$78,680$60,390-$18,290 (-23.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,320$167,180+$35,860 (+27.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$141,150$164,920+$23,770 (+16.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$92,370$106,600+$14,230 (+15.4%)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

Wausau, WI to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $128,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (97.7 in Wausau, WI, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Wausau, WI 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 Wausau, WI?

About $128,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (97.7 in Wausau, WI, 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 Wausau, WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 28.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Wausau, WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.