Cost of Living in Austin, TX
Cost of living in Austin is driven mostly by housing, taxes, and transportation. Use the calculator below to estimate how your take-home pay and housing costs might change.
Assumptions updated: March 2026
Explore All ToolsSnapshot for Austin
StateTX
Average Rent$2,100 / month
Median Home Price$520,000
Est. mortgage: $2,768/mo
Property Tax1.58%
Salary guidance (rent ≈ $2,100/mo)
Tighter$72,000
Target$84,000
Comfort$90,000
Rule of thumb: rent is ~28–35% of gross income.
Income & Location
Income impact
+$924Higher
Rent Inputs
Estimated Living Costs
Groceries: $600
Utilities: $250
Transportation: $286
Healthcare: $200
Estimated costs adjust automatically based on the selected city.
Results
Assumptions updated: March 2026 · Planning estimates only
Current city: New York City
Target city: Austin
Net monthly (current): $7,677
Net monthly (target): $8,600
Gross monthly: $12,500.00
Est. taxes (current): $4,823.21 (38.6%)
Est. taxes (target): $3,899.54 (31.2%)
Includes supported local city income tax where applicable.
Monthly housing (rent)
Total (rent + renter’s ins + parking): $2,370.00
Housing % of net (target): 27.6%
Results are estimates only. No information entered is stored or shared.
Tax estimates include federal income tax, FICA, state income tax, and supported local city income taxes where applicable.
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Monthly Flexibility
$6,230.46
After housing
This is what you have left each month in Austin after housing costs.
Higher flexibility gives you more room for saving, investing, and unexpected expenses.
COMPARABLE SALARY
$142,300
Austin is roughly 5% less expensive than New York City.
Based on housing, transportation, and essential cost weighting.
Comfort Score™
🟡 · Manageable
Target housing
Doable, but watch recurring costs and lifestyle creep.
Based on how much of your target net monthly income goes toward housing.
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How Austin compares (rent)
New York City vs Austin~60% cheaper rent →Miami vs Austin~19% cheaper rent →Boston vs Austin~30% cheaper rent →
Based on the starter rent estimates in your dataset. Real listings can vary by neighborhood and timing.
Assumptions updated: March 2026