[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":34},["ShallowReactive",2],{"city-content-austin":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":26,"extension":27,"meta":28,"navigation":29,"path":30,"seo":31,"stem":32,"__hash__":33},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Faustin.md","Cost of Living in Austin",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":22},"minimark",[9,13,16,19],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Austin has a cost of living index of 115, about 15% above the national average. The housing index is 148, which tells a significant part of the story: housing costs roughly doubled between 2019 and 2023 before softening somewhat in 2024. A one-bedroom apartment in Austin now averages around $1,500 to $1,900 per month, and median home prices sit near $500,000. The median household income is approximately $75,000, which was comfortable against Austin's cost structure five years ago but is more stretched today.",[10,14,15],{},"For someone moving from an average-cost city, a $100,000 salary is worth about $87,000 in Austin. That's a modest premium compared to coastal cities but still reflects a market that has moved significantly from its affordable-Texas reputation. Workers coming from California or New York will find meaningfully lower housing costs, while those from Dallas or Houston will find Austin slightly more expensive.",[10,17,18],{},"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.",[10,20,21],{},"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":23,"searchDepth":24,"depth":24,"links":25},"",2,[],"What your salary is worth in Austin compared to the US average","md",{},true,"\u002Fcities\u002Faustin",{"title":5,"description":26},"cities\u002Faustin","Lqbi5B6G6nv7MQAXLD8tJdLiRsGGyaSMKY5eCQM2Llg",1776796069909]