- SAT average (of 1600): 1,368 (2024) · source
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inAustin, TX, United States
Texas, United States974KHigh incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Andreanna Moya Photography
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 1.1x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). United States: $76,931/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 31% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
1.4x further
Prices are 31% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
2.2x further
Prices are 55% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
1.3x further
Prices are 25% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
1.4x further
Prices are 28% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
High
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$76,931
PPP, International $
City Population
974K
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$2,054/mo
1BR Outside Center$1,426/mo
3BR City Center$3,940/mo
3BR Outside Center$2,602/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$20
Milk (1L)$1.00
Bread (500g)$3.57
Eggs (12)$4.59
Transport
Taxi per km$1.62
Gasoline (1L)$0.75
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$197/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$68/mo
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes United States as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Austin, TX.
Quality
Mixed public-school option
Expat access
Available to residents
conditionalInstruction
English
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
The United States has many excellent public schools, but quality varies sharply by district and neighborhood.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families can use local public schools, but school quality depends heavily on district assignment and housing location.
🗺️ Homeschooling
Varies by stateHomeschooling is legal in all 50 US states but regulations vary dramatically. Some states (TX, AK, ID) have minimal oversight; others (NY, PA, MA) require notification, testing, and curriculum approval. Most worldschooling families establish residency in low-regulation states.
Homeschool legality in United States — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
2 confirmed schools
1 more suggested by AI, not verified
Typical fee
$30,025/yr
median of 2 schools' published fees
- IB1
- American1
Regents School of Austin
American
Confirmed on its own website
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
How schools rank by exam results →Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Austin, TX, United States.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$2,750-$3,550
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$3,300-$4,250
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Austin: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 61/100 (transit supported). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
61/100
mobility profile transit backbone
Airport
International airport
Austin-Bergstrom gives the city strong domestic coverage plus practical international service for a fast-growing secondary US metro.
Urban transit
Rapid bus, limited commuter rail, and bus
brt buscommuter railbus
Austin has more transit structure than a pure car-only market through CapMetro rapid buses and MetroRail, but daily family life still leans heavily on road travel outside the strongest corridors.
Rideshare
Uber and Lyft available
Ride-hailing is a normal complement for airport trips, hot-weather convenience, and first/last-mile gaps beyond the bus and rail network.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in United States.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
352 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
StrongHigh national coverage, strong doctor availability, and deep nursing capacity support this rating.
Public care
GoodBroad public coverage and relatively low patient cost-sharing help, but the tracked facility mix leans away from public providers.
Private care
GoodA meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network and a clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
88/100
2023
Physicians
3.68/1k
2022
Hospital beds
2.68/1k
2022
Out of pocket
11%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
78.9 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
17/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
3.7/1k
2024
International patient readiness
GoodA visible private hospital base and multiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Dentist: 109Clinic: 75Pharmacy: 70Doctor: 59Hospital: 25Physiotherapy: 9Laboratory: 5
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in United States yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
Cornerstone Hospital Austin
Hospital · Emergency
Heart Hospital of Austin
Hospital · Emergency
Northwest Hills Surgical Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
surgery
The Hospital at Westlake Medical Center
Hospital · Emergency
Saint David's North Austin Medical Center
Hospital · Emergency
Austin Emergency Center Arboretum
Hospital · Emergency
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index56/100
Crime Index44/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability+0.39
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Information & Technology | $184,367/yr |
| Finance & Insurance | $147,212/yr |
| Professional & Scientific Services | $142,152/yr |
| Utilities | $137,192/yr |
| Manufacturing | $120,078/yr |
| Transport & Logistics | $113,118/yr |
| Mining & Quarrying | $111,029/yr |
| Healthcare & Social Work | $93,680/yr |
| Real Estate | $92,563/yr |
| Other Services | $91,334/yr |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | $88,687/yr |
| Education | $88,642/yr |
| Construction | $85,391/yr |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | $84,688/yr |
| Administrative & Support Services | $78,320/yr |
| Agriculture & Farming | $58,804/yr |
| Hospitality & Food Service | $46,416/yr |
2025 annual wages in Austin, TX, United States · Source: BLS OEWS (MSA-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
abs gasoline regular
$3.17EstimatedSame
beer
$7.75EstimatedSame
big mac
$6.22EstimatedSame
bread 500g
$3.57Estimated5% more
budget hotel
$242.50Survey-verified568% more
budget hotel night
$35.00EstimatedSame
childcare preschool
$1555.48EstimatedSame
cinema
$16.50EstimatedSame
coca cola
$2.15EstimatedSame
eggs dozen
$4.59Estimated5% cheaper
gasoline liter
$20.53Survey-verified1893% more
inexpensive meal
$20.00Survey-verified5% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$67.85Estimated0% more
iphone
$999.00EstimatedSame
jeans
$51.25EstimatedSame
latte
$5.31EstimatedSame
luxury hotel
$242.50Survey-verified49% cheaper
luxury hotel night
$450.00EstimatedSame
mcmeal
$20.00Survey-verified97% more
milk liter
$1.00Estimated18% cheaper
monthly pass
$20.53Survey-verified70% cheaper
nike shoes
$91.25EstimatedSame
regional price parity
$95.10EstimatedSame
rent 1br
$2053.65Survey-verified13% more
rent 2br
$2053.65Survey-verified52% cheaper
rent 3br
$3939.52Estimated24% more
subway fare
$20.53Survey-verified752% more
taxi km
$1.62Estimated13% cheaper
utilities basic
$197.33Estimated8% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Long-Term Visa Programs
investment
US EB-5 Immigrant Investor (Standard)24 monthsPath to residency
24 monthsPath to residency
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Austin compared with the US?
Your money goes about 1.1x further in Austin than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.
Is Austin cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Austin is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 31% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Austin.
How does rent in Austin compare with New York City?
Rent in Austin is about 55% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Austin?
Groceries in Austin are about 25% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 28% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Austin, TX
Austin is the capital of Texas and the fastest-growing large city in the United States over the past decade, anchored by a tech cluster that now includes Tesla's Gigafactory, Samsung's Taylor semiconductor fab nearby, Apple's North American campus, and substantial Oracle, Meta, and Google operations. Relocators should weigh Austin as no longer cheap: housing has risen sharply since 2020, though it remains below San Francisco or New York, and Texas has no state income tax. The climate is humid subtropical with very hot summers and short mild winters. The city is car-dependent, with limited transit beyond CapMetro buses and one MetroRail line. Property taxes are notably high to offset the income-tax absence.
Hot, humid subtropical summers; mild winters with occasional ice stormsExceptional internet infrastructure and widespread 5G coverageLarge and growing expat community; significant tech worker migrationCar-dependent; limited public transit and pedestrian areas outside downtownWorld-renowned food scene with affordable, diverse options and food trucksLegendary live music venues and nightlife; 'Live Music Capital' reputationAbundant coworking spaces and tech meetups; strong startup ecosystemGenerally safe with good police presence; some petty crime in downtown areas
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