City profile
Austin, TX cost of living
TX · BEA RPP 98.066
Latest official changes
Updates affecting Austin, TX
City metrics retain the historical BEA 2024 and HUD FY2027 benchmarks. Change-log entries are dated source notices and do not automatically update those values.
2024 overall RPP
98.066
US = 100
2024 housing-rent RPP
120.361
Housing component
2024 goods RPP
93.757
Goods component
2-BR FMR (HUD)
$1,817/mo
FY2027 FMR
Where Austin, TX sits in the verified metro set
RPP rank
#38 of 67
-1.9 vs U.S. average
Vs median metro
-1.4
median RPP 99.5
2-BR rent rank
#25 of 67
+128/mo vs median verified metro
RPP ranks use only verified ReloMath metro records. Sources: BEA MARPP 2024 (all items, housing, goods, other services); HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent; reviewed 2026-10-04. These are historical area benchmarks, not current neighborhood prices. HUD FMR is a 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmark, not median rent. BEA metro and HUD rent-area boundaries can differ. BEA: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX (Metropolitan Statistical Area) (code 12420). HUD: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA (code METRO12420M12420); counties or county equivalents: Bastrop County, Caldwell County, Hays County, Travis County, Williamson County. The official files were retrieved 2026-10-04.
Who’s moving in and out of Austin, TX
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023Cost of living is only half the relocation question. The other half is which way people are actually voting with their feet, straight from IRS tax-return migration for the Austin, TX metro.
Moved in
88,399
people · 58,277 households
Moved out
71,013
people · 45,352 households
Net
+17,386
net gain of residents
Net migration rank
#5 of 65
among IRS-covered ReloMath metros
Vs median net flow
+17,015
median +371 people
Largest flow share
8% in / 7% out
top named county shares
Where new residents came from
- Harris County, TX 7,006
- Bexar County, TX 5,210
- Bell County, TX 3,596
- Dallas County, TX 3,259
- Los Angeles County, CA 2,572
Where residents moved to
- Harris County, TX 5,162
- Bexar County, TX 5,042
- Bell County, TX 4,628
- Dallas County, TX 2,630
- Comal County, TX 2,517
Counts are IRS tax filers (returns ≈ households, individuals ≈ exemptions) who changed address between 2022-2023. Flows too small for IRS to disclose are grouped and excluded from the named lists. Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration data ↗, mapped to metros via the U.S. Census CBSA delineation.
What salary do you need in Austin, TX?
Historical BEA 2024 salary illustration relative to the U.S. average (RPP 100), before tax and household adjustments. Housing is already included in overall RPP.
| In US-average city | You need in Austin, TX | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,033 | $50,000 x (98.066/100) |
| $75,000 | $73,550 | $75,000 x (98.066/100) |
| $100,000 | $98,066 | $100,000 x (98.066/100) |
| $125,000 | $122,583 | $125,000 x (98.066/100) |
| $150,000 | $147,099 | $150,000 x (98.066/100) |
| $200,000 | $196,132 | $200,000 x (98.066/100) |
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
The historical salary illustration is separate from moving payments. Use an actual mover quote and lease terms in your budget summary.
State income tax note
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Obtain take-home estimates for your actual work and home addresses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in Austin, TX?
- In the historical BEA 2024 benchmark, Austin, TX has an overall Regional Price Parity of 98.066 (US average = 100). Its overall price level is 1.9% lower than the national average for that year.
- What salary do I need to live in Austin, TX?
- If you earn $100,000 in a US-average city (RPP 100), the BEA 2024 RPP illustration is approximately $98,066 in Austin, TX, before tax and household adjustments.
- What historical rent benchmark is shown for Austin, TX?
- The historical HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom associated with Austin, TX is $1,817 per month as of FY2027.
- Are people moving to or away from Austin, TX?
- Based on IRS tax-return migration data for 2022-2023, about 88,399 people moved into the Austin, TX metro and 71,013 moved out — a net gain of roughly 17,386 residents. The largest single source of new residents was Harris County, TX.
Curated nearby & similar cities
Similar verified metros by RPP
These links are chosen by data proximity: closest overall RPP to Austin, TX, with HUD 2-BR rent as a tie-breaker.
Curated cost-of-living comparisons for Austin, TX
Side-by-side cost of living and the equivalent salary you'd need — pick a destination.
Check published data changes
Review dated source notices for tracked metros alongside Austin, TX's historical benchmarks. Change-log entries do not automatically refresh the BEA 2024 or HUD FY2027 values shown here.
View cost-of-living change log