Harrisburg-Carlisle Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Harrisburg-Carlisle to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.7 to 98.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $359/mo.

+$4,916
BLS median salary higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
250 to 395
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.6:1 to 14.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 98.7 → 98.1
Rent Delta: +$359/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $5K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - $359/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 98.7 to 98.1 (ratio 0.99), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $359/mo ($4,308/yr) from $1,493 in Harrisburg-Carlisle to $1,852 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos sits #321 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Harrisburg-Carlisle is #270/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,916 higher ($66,873 → $71,789). Labor-market size: 327,450 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,265,270 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Pennsylvania 65 (C, #18/51) vs Texas 65 (C, #19/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Harrisburg-Carlisle
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.7
RPP 98.1
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Rent (2BR)
$1,493/mo
$1,852/mo
Harrisburg-Carlisle
Wages
$66,873
$71,789
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Crime
250 per 100K
395 per 100K
Harrisburg-Carlisle
Schools
13.6:1
14.7:1
Harrisburg-Carlisle
Childcare
N/A
$7,566/yr
Tie
Environment
5292 violations
35693 violations
Harrisburg-Carlisle

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Pennsylvania
65 C #18/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
58
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
72
Destination state · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Harrisburg-Carlisle to see what you'd need to earn in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026