Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 102.7 to 98.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $13/mo.

-$5,981
BLS median salary lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
139 to 395
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
12.1:1 to 14.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$9,561
DOL infant care lower / yr in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 102.7 → 98.1
Rent Delta: -$13/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 5% lower cost of living
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $6K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 102.7 to 98.1 (ratio 0.95), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,865 → $1,852); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 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). Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford is #73/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,981 lower ($77,770 → $71,789). Labor-market size: 587,310 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,265,270 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Texas scores 65 (C, #19/51) vs Connecticut at 52 (D, #41/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 102.7
RPP 98.1
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Rent (2BR)
$1,865/mo
$1,852/mo
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Wages
$77,770
$71,789
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford
Crime
139 per 100K
395 per 100K
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford
Schools
12.1:1
14.7:1
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford
Childcare
$17,127/yr
$7,566/yr
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Environment
801 violations
35693 violations
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford

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 · Connecticut
52 D #41/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
50
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
86
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 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 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