[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":61},["ShallowReactive",2],{"city-content-austin-vs-raleigh":3,"comparison-city-content-austin-vs-raleigh":4},null,{"fromCityContent":5,"toCityContent":36},{"id":6,"title":7,"body":8,"description":28,"extension":29,"meta":30,"navigation":31,"path":32,"seo":33,"stem":34,"__hash__":35},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Faustin.md","Cost of Living in Austin",{"type":9,"value":10,"toc":24},"minimark",[11,15,18,21],[12,13,14],"p",{},"Austin has a cost of living index of 95.6, about 4.4% below the national average. The housing index is 96.8, so housing still does a lot to shape the local budget. Typical apartment rent is about $1,774 a month, and median home values are around $492,364. The median household income is approximately $88,000.",[12,16,17],{},"A $100,000 salary in an average-cost city stretches to about $104,600 in Austin. The difference is real, but it is small enough that housing choice matters more than the metro average by itself. Most day-to-day categories stay close to the national baseline.",[12,19,20],{},"Texas has no state income tax, which is a real financial advantage. At a $100,000 gross salary, the absence of state income tax puts several thousand additional dollars in take-home pay compared to someone earning the same amount in a state with a 5 to 10% income tax. That advantage partially explains why Austin has attracted significant corporate relocations and individual migration from higher-tax states.",[12,22,23],{},"Property taxes in Texas are notably high and represent an important offset to the income tax advantage. Effective property tax rates in the Austin metro often run 1.8 to 2.2% of assessed value annually. On a $500,000 home, that's $9,000 to $11,000 per year in property taxes alone, on top of a mortgage. Buyers evaluating affordability should include the property tax figure explicitly in their monthly cost calculations, as it represents a cost that is materially higher than in most other states.",{"title":25,"searchDepth":26,"depth":26,"links":27},"",2,[],"What your salary is worth in Austin compared to the US average","md",{},true,"\u002Fcities\u002Faustin",{"title":7,"description":28},"cities\u002Faustin","dpTB-tUEJGzhxFkJGlBBTFIfwwU_BSnj8y0WvnLypvU",{"id":37,"title":38,"body":39,"description":55,"extension":29,"meta":56,"navigation":31,"path":57,"seo":58,"stem":59,"__hash__":60},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fraleigh.md","Cost of Living in Raleigh",{"type":9,"value":40,"toc":53},[41,44,47,50],[12,42,43],{},"Raleigh has a cost of living index of 94.7, about 5.3% below the national average. Housing runs below the national baseline, with a housing index of 87.5. Typical apartment rent is about $1,492 a month, and median home values are around $453,944. The median household income is approximately $72,000. Raleigh has seen rapid growth driven by the Research Triangle Park corridor, which houses major employers in technology, pharmaceuticals, and research.",[12,45,46],{},"A $100,000 salary in an average-cost city stretches to about $105,600 in Raleigh. That extra room can make it easier to save, pay down debt, or stretch for a better housing setup. Most everyday categories stay manageable here, although healthcare still runs a bit high.",[12,48,49],{},"North Carolina has a flat state income tax of 4.5%, which is straightforward and relatively low. There is no Raleigh city income tax. Sales tax in Wake County runs about 7.25%. Property taxes in Wake County are moderate, with effective rates around 0.8 to 1.0% of assessed value.",[12,51,52],{},"One specific dynamic in Raleigh: the growth of Research Triangle Park companies has created significant salary variation within the metro. Tech workers at IBM, Cisco, or SAS often earn $120,000 to $180,000 or more, while service, healthcare support, and government workers may earn $45,000 to $70,000. The same apartment costs the same for both groups, so workers at the lower end of the income spectrum face more budget pressure than the city-level median income suggests.",{"title":25,"searchDepth":26,"depth":26,"links":54},[],"What your salary is worth in Raleigh compared to the US average",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fraleigh",{"title":38,"description":55},"cities\u002Fraleigh","QkqpquRSWsN6vosd9TAOEwUgAxhCFao35c33gV6x17o",1776828784145]