Travis County · Texas
Austin cost of living (TX)
Price levels published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, with the national average set to 100 — so 108 means things cost 8% more here than the US average.
Quick answer
Austin costs 1.9% below the national average — all-items price level 98.1, rank 58 of 94 covered metros. A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $98,066 here. Utilities is the reason, at 82.0.
- All items
- 98.1US average = 100
- Housing
- 120.420.4% above the national average
- Goods
- 93.86.2% below the national average
- Other services
- 96.23.8% below the national average
Price level by component
Where the difference actually comes from.
| Component | Index | vs US | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods | 93.8 | -6.2% | Groceries, fuel, clothing, durable purchases. |
| Housing | 120.4 | +20.4% | Rents and imputed rents — the biggest single swing factor. |
| Utilities | 82.0 | -18.0% | Electricity, gas, water and other household energy. |
| Other services | 96.2 | -3.8% | Healthcare, dining, repairs, personal services. |
Reading the Austin price level
What the 98.1 figure actually means for a household here.
Austin prices sit 1.9% below the US average — an all-items parity of 98.1, rank 58 of 94 covered metros. Effectively the national average. The median covered metro reads 100.8.
Utilities drives it: 82.0, 18.0% below average. Housing pulls the other way at 120.4. The spread between the cheapest and dearest component is 38.3 points, so the headline number hides real variation — a renter and an owner in Austin do not face the same cost gap versus the rest of the country.
A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $98,066 here to buy the same basket. Run it the other way: the $91,461 median household income in Austin is worth $93,265 in national-average dollars, 18.8% above the $78,538 US median. Local pay more than covers the local price level.
Parities are published for Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX as a whole. Neighbourhood prices inside that metro diverge widely, and BEA revises the series annually.
What your salary is worth in Austin, TX
Enter a salary. We deflate it by the local price level (98.1 where 100 is the US average) and show what you would need to earn here to match the same pay somewhere average.
- Real value here
- $93,265
- Needed to match US average
- $89,692
- Monthly difference
- $-147
What a local paycheck is really worth
Nominal pay is only half the story.
$91,461 median household income in Austin is worth $93,265 in national-average dollars. BEA calls that real income: income × 100 ÷ 98.1.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- Is Austin expensive?
- No — 1.9% below the US average, rank 58 of 94 covered metros. utilities is the component furthest from average at 82.0.
- What salary do you need to live in Austin, TX?
- $98,066 to match a $100,000 national-average salary. The local median household earns $91,461, worth $93,265 after adjusting for the 98.1 price level.
- Why is the cost of living low in Austin?
- Utilities at 82.0 versus housing at 120.4. A 38.3-point spread between components means one category, not general inflation, sets the headline figure.
More Austin data
Other Austin datasets on this site.
- Austin population and income
- Austin sales tax rate
- Austin property tax
- Austin home values and rent
- Austin crime rates
- Austin public schools
- Austin weather normals
- Austin commute times
- Austin jobs and wages
Statewide: Texas cities · Texas ZIP codes · Texas sales tax · Texas counties
2024 BEA Regional Price Parities, published for Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. Parities are metro-wide, so a single neighbourhood can sit well above or below these figures.