Costs vary by city, so location-specific data matters for financial planning. Our cost of living calculator shows expense differences between cities so you can compare before you move.
Cost of Living Calculator
Compare cost of living between U.S. cities and the national average with our comprehensive calculator. Determine how much more or less you need to maintain a similar standard of living. Compare housing, food, utilities, transportation, and other cost of living numbers across cities.
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Austin TX
Cost of Living Calculator
Updated: September 11, 2026
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About the MoneyGeek Cost of Living Calculator
The MoneyGeek Cost of Living Calculator helps you see how expenses differ between cities before you move. Whether you're relocating for work, family or lifestyle, the tool covers nearly 500 U.S. cities.
Where the Data Comes From
The calculator uses three data sources for accurate cost estimates.
- The Cost of Living Index (COLI) measures price differences across cities. It covers housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, healthcare and entertainment. Pricing data is collected locally using consistent methods.
- Employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reflects median wages, workforce trends and regional job opportunities.
- Census data updates yearly through the American Community Survey to reflect population shifts and economic changes that affect housing demand, wages and costs.
How to Use MoneyGeek’s Cost of Living Calculator
Compare living expenses between two cities by entering your current location and the city you're considering. You can also adjust your household annual income to see how your earnings hold up in your potential new city.
The calculator estimates the income you'd need to keep your current lifestyle based on average costs in the selected city.
- 1Select Places to Compare
Choose your current city and the city you're moving to. Our calculator includes nearly 500 U.S. cities, from large metros to smaller towns.
- 2Input Your Household Annual Income
The calculator defaults to $50,000 annually, but you can adjust this to match your yearly earnings before taxes. After your first calculation, you can change this amount to compare different income scenarios.
How to Read the Results
The calculator shows the estimated income needed to keep your current lifestyle in the new city and a side-by-side comparison of major expense categories.
The income estimate at the top shows whether you'd need to earn more or less in the new city. A detailed breakdown covers percentage differences in housing, groceries and transportation so you can see where your costs will shift and adjust your budget.
SAMPLE COMPUTATION
Let's say you live in San Francisco, California, earn $100,000 a year and consider moving to Austin, Texas. According to the MoneyGeek Cost of Living Calculator, you'd need $58,393 in Austin to keep the same lifestyle. That's 71% less than in San Francisco.
The biggest gap is housing, which runs 64% lower in Austin. Renting an apartment drops from $3,749 in San Francisco to $1,849 in Austin. The median home price falls from $1.38 million to $500,842. Other everyday expenses also decrease, including groceries (9% lower), utilities (34% lower) and healthcare (27% lower).
Not all costs decrease. Phone bills remain nearly the same, and wine is 1% more expensive in Austin.
Categories in Cost of Living Comparisons
Housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, healthcare and entertainment are the main factors shaping the cost of living in any city. Prices shift by location.
HousingHousing is usually the biggest budget item, whether you rent or own. Costs shift based on demand, location and local property taxes, so it carries the most weight in any city-to-city comparison.
Rents and home prices in high-demand metros like San Francisco run well above the national average. Mid-sized cities like Austin stretch the same dollar further. Where you land on that spectrum can make or break your budget.
GroceryGrocery prices reflect local supply chains, transportation costs and state taxes. Items like milk, eggs and fresh produce cost more in areas far from their source.
In some cities, grocery bills run higher because of import costs or limited retail competition. Areas near farms or with strong discount chains keep prices lower. Those differences hit your wallet week after week.
UtilitiesMonthly utility bills cover electricity, water, heating, cooling, internet and phone service. Climate, local energy rates and infrastructure all affect how much you pay.
Harsh winters and hot summers push heating and cooling bills higher. States with regulated energy markets can land on either end of the cost spectrum, depending on local policy and provider competition.
TransportationCommuting costs come down to gas prices, transit options and vehicle upkeep. In Los Angeles, driving is unavoidable, so residents absorb high fuel and maintenance costs. In New York City, a monthly subway pass covers most commuting costs.
Parking fees, tolls and rideshare costs add up fast in car-heavy cities. Where transit is strong, getting around costs less.
HealthcareMedical costs include doctor visits, prescription drugs, insurance premiums and hospital care. What you pay depends on local providers, insurance regulations and how competitive the market is.
In cities with more hospitals and specialists, more competition keeps prices in check. In rural or underserved areas, fewer providers mean higher out-of-pocket costs.
EntertainmentEntertainment spending covers dining, fitness, movies and other leisure activities. These costs aren't essential, but they shape your day-to-day experience and vary a lot by city.
Take Boston. Concerts, gym memberships and restaurant meals there run higher than in most U.S. cities. A dinner out or a sporting event ticket can easily cost twice what you'd spend in a smaller market.
HOW INFLATION IMPACTS THE COST OF LIVING
As prices rise, the cost of essentials like housing, groceries and utilities increases.
Inflation also affects cost-of-living indices, which are updated regularly to track price changes.
Understanding the Cost of Living Index
The cost-of-living index measures how affordable cities are relative to the national average based on housing, groceries, transportation and healthcare. A score of 100 is the national average. Higher scores mean higher costs; anything below 100 means the city is cheaper than the U.S. average.
Manhattan's cost-of-living index runs more than twice the national average. Decatur, Illinois, sits more than 20% below it. Moving changes more than your housing costs.
Cost of Living FAQ
What should I consider before moving?
Cost of living affects how comfortably you can live somewhere. Think about job opportunities, long-term financial goals and quality of life. Can you still save for a home, retirement or debt repayment? Consider amenities, climate and proximity to friends and family to see if the city fits your life.
How much does it cost to move?
Moving costs depend on how far you're going and what services you hire. Costs include movers, truck rentals, fuel, plane tickets, temporary lodging and food. Local moves often run a few hundred dollars. Long-distance moves with professional movers can cost several thousand.
Can I afford to move to a new city?
MoneyGeek's cost of living calculator compares expenses based on your income and shows whether your income goes far enough in a new city. Consider day-to-day expenses along with savings, debt payments and long-term financial goals.
How do I find the cost of living in an area?
Use a cost of living calculator like MoneyGeek's to compare expenses across cities. Government sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and C2ER's Cost of Living Index (COLI) provide data on regional price differences.
What's the average cost of living in the U.S.?
The average annual cost of living for a U.S. household was $77,280 ($6,440 a month) in 2023. Housing was the biggest expense at 32.9% of total spending. Costs vary by location. High-cost cities like New York (Manhattan) run more than twice the national average. Lower-cost areas like Decatur, Illinois, fall 20% below it.
How much of my income should go toward living costs?
The 50/30/20 rule divides your income into three buckets: 50% for necessities (housing, food, utilities and transportation), 30% for discretionary spending and 20% for savings or debt repayment. In high-cost cities, you'll likely need to shift more toward necessities and less toward savings or discretionary spending.
About Nathan Paulus
Nathan Paulus is the Senior Director of Content and SEO at MoneyGeek, where he leads content strategy and conducts original data research across insurance, consumer costs, transportation safety, housing, public policy and personal finance. He reviews studies for methodology, source quality and factual accuracy.
Research and Analysis
In more than six years at MoneyGeek, Nathan has published more than 100 original studies and explanatory guides. His insurance research includes 50-state comparisons of health care outcomes, costs and access, and an analysis of how uninsured rates track with state Medicaid expansion decisions and electoral patterns.
He has analyzed full-coverage auto rates across major insurers in all 50 states and tracked how premium trends relate to industry underwriting losses. That research draws on combined ratio data from Fitch Ratings and AM Best, plus the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI figures. Beyond insurance, his work spans vehicle pricing trends across the U.S. new car market, summer traffic fatality rates by state, homeowner underinsurance ratios using mortgage and policy data, and housing affordability across all 50 states.
His research has been cited by Bloomberg, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Fast Company, the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today and NBC Los Angeles. Harvard, MIT, Stanford and Yale have referenced his work.
Career
Nathan traces his interest in personal finance back to his grandmother, who ran her household on a simple rule: spend less than you make and save the difference before anything else. That rule shows up in his work today. His writing skips jargon and complex strategy in favor of the basics that help someone living paycheck to paycheck.
He joined MoneyGeek in July 2020 as Director of Content Marketing, where he led the content team and oversaw data journalism production across insurance and personal finance verticals. A promotion to Head of Marketing and Communications followed in December 2023. The new role added digital PR and communications strategy to his responsibilities. He was appointed Head of Content and SEO in January 2025.
Before MoneyGeek, Nathan served as Director of Content Marketing and SEO at Ventrix Advertising, where he helped build two content sites from scratch, contributed to link-building programs that generated more than 1,500 unique referring domains within a year and co-managed a marketing team of more than 20 people. Two and a half years at ABUV Media preceded that role. He advanced from Marketing Research Analyst to Senior Marketing Tactics Analyst, where he built expertise in audience research, content strategy and SEO.
Sources
- Council for Community and Economic Research. "Press Release: Cost of Living Index." Accessed September 11, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Consumer Expenditures – 2023." Accessed September 11, 2026.