✦ Compare
Austin vs
Houston
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Austin, TX vs Houston, TX at a glance — Houston, TX is 2% more expensive than Austin, TX overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,400/mo versus $1,650/mo. The top national income-tax rate is 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Houston, TX, you'd need
$76,550 / year
Houston, TX is 2% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Houston, TX vs Austin, TX)
- Housing-8%
- Food & groceries+5%
- Transport+9%
- Utilities+15%
- Healthcare+8%
- Goods & services+5%
◎ How Austin, TX and Houston, TX compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Austin, TX | Houston, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 98 | 100 |
| Housing | 109 | 100 |
| Food | 91 | 96 |
| Transport | 94 | 102 |
| Utilities | 92 | 106 |
| Healthcare | 91 | 98 |
| Goods & services | 94 | 99 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,650/mo | $1,400/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,300/mo | $1,100/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,000/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,000 | $3,300 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,023 | $1,002 |
| Inexpensive meal | $17 | $16 |
| Monthly transit pass | $42 | $60 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 37% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 0% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | 7.7% |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 21% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $4,300/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | $1,257/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $90,027✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 60 | 45 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC-6 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 61 | 59 |
| Safety index | 58 | 48 |
| Healthcare index | 76 | 78 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 50 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 42 | 48 |
| Public transport | 40 | 42 |
| Family-friendly | 65 | 62 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | $450/mo |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 79 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +11 °C | +12 °C |
| July avg | +30 °C | +30 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 228 | 204 |
| Rainfall / year | 870 mm | 1,260 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs United States. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Austin vs Houston — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Austin
Texas's tech boomtown — no state income tax, live music and warmth, though prices have caught up fast.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 58/100
- Climate
- ❄ 11°C · ☀ 30°C · 228 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Downtown · East Austin · South Congress
Good to know before you move to Houston
America's energy capital — cheap, diverse and spread out, with hot, humid summers.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ 12°C · ☀ 30°C · 204 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Montrose · The Heights · Midtown
Plan your move to Austin
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Houston
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Austin to Houston: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Austin to Houston, your cost of living will be roughly 2% more expensive. Houston’s cost-of-living index is 100 versus 98 for Austin (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Austin cheaper than Houston?
Houston is about 2% more expensive than Austin overall — its cost-of-living index is 100 versus 98 for Austin.
Which is more expensive, Austin or Houston?
Houston is more expensive than Austin. Its cost-of-living index is 100 vs 98 (US = 100) — about 2% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Austin or Houston?
Rent is cheaper in Houston — about $1,400/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,650 in Austin.
How much do you need to earn in Houston to live like in Austin?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Austin is worth about $76,550 in Houston. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Austin or Houston?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (37%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Austin
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.