2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$129,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+29.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,972
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$6,972/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

Wichita Falls, TX

COL 97.0
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 -$11,388
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,792
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $129,400
Federal Income Tax -$19,790
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,899
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $99,711
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $81,351

EPI family budgets put living costs 29.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Wichita Falls, TX, so $100,000 in Wichita Falls goes about as far as $129,400 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $949 a month in Wichita Falls and $1,530 in Austin, $6,972 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 $6,972 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $43,210 in Wichita Falls 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 Wichita Falls (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$949$1,530+$581+61.2%
Food & Groceries$326$334+$8+2.5%
Transportation$1,052$1,062+$10+1.0%
Healthcare$589$467-$122-20.7%
Other Necessities$357$585+$228+63.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$581/mo (61.2%)
Wichita Falls: $949/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$672/mo (58.7%)
Wichita Falls: $1,145/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.31/hr (29.4%)
Wichita Falls: $21.46/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.64/hr (24.2%)
Wichita Falls: $19.14/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 Wichita Falls Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$76,320$117,850+$41,530 (+54.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$108,260$134,120+$25,860 (+23.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$83,280$97,890+$14,610 (+17.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$80,070$102,390+$22,320 (+27.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,050$83,120+$7,070 (+9.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,540$176,990+$52,450 (+42.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$89,420$129,470+$40,050 (+44.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$100,970$151,760+$50,790 (+50.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$45,570$60,390+$14,820 (+32.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$127,490$167,180+$39,690 (+31.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$108,620$164,920+$56,300 (+51.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$95,570$106,600+$11,030 (+11.5%)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

Wichita Falls, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $129,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (97.0 in Wichita Falls, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Wichita Falls, TX 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 Wichita Falls, TX?

About $129,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (97.0 in Wichita Falls, 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 Wichita Falls, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 29.4% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Wichita Falls, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.