2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$112,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+12.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$432
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,913/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

Wilmington, NC

COL 111.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,481
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,792
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,907
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $112,900
Federal Income Tax -$16,008
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,637
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $88,255
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,895

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Wilmington, NC, so $100,000 in Wilmington goes about as far as $112,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,566 a month in Wilmington and $1,530 in Austin, $432 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,913 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $45,800 in Wilmington 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 Wilmington (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,566$1,530-$36-2.3%
Food & Groceries$393$334-$59-15.0%
Transportation$958$1,062+$104+10.9%
Healthcare$518$467-$51-9.8%
Other Necessities$458$585+$127+27.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$1,735-$290-14.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$36/mo (-2.3%)
Wilmington: $1,566/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$112/mo (6.6%)
Wilmington: $1,705/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.17/hr (12.9%)
Wilmington: $24.60/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.04/hr (4.6%)
Wilmington: $22.74/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 Wilmington Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$90,270$117,850+$27,580 (+30.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,730$134,120+$10,390 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$80,970$97,890+$16,920 (+20.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$89,120$102,390+$13,270 (+14.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,920$83,120+$5,200 (+6.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$160,980$176,990+$16,010 (+9.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$96,350$129,470+$33,120 (+34.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,400$151,760+$18,360 (+13.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$54,080$60,390+$6,310 (+11.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$152,150$167,180+$15,030 (+9.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$153,860$164,920+$11,060 (+7.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$86,960$106,600+$19,640 (+22.6%)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

Wilmington, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $112,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.2 in Wilmington, NC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Wilmington, NC 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 Wilmington, NC?

About $112,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.2 in Wilmington, NC, 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 Wilmington, NC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Wilmington, NC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.