Cost of living compare
Austin vs Houston cost of living
Austin vs Houston cost of living, compared metric by metric: BEA regional price parity, HUD rent, USDA food, energy, and state and local taxes. Each row keeps its own source grain and vintage — there is no single blended “cost of living score,” because these measures are published at different geographic grains.
25% moremodeled gross income for the same illustrative four-person spending scenario in Austin than in Houston
Illustrative scenario: $131,044/yr in Austin vs $104,750/yr in Houston; unverified local tax excluded where applicable
CEX 2024 · FMR FY2026 · USDA 2026 · RPP 2024 · TY2026 · NDCP 2022 (CPI-inflated to 2026-M08)
Scenarios with unverified local income tax exclude that unknown cost. These amounts are not tax-inclusive needs estimates.
Four-person spending scenarios in Austin and Houston
The illustrative four-person scenarios correspond to modeled gross incomes of $131,044 a year in Austin and $104,750 a year in Houston. See the assumptions and exclusions. The bars show the included components, not a minimum adequate income.
| Component | Austin | Houston | Austin − Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $3,280 | $1,840 | +$1,440 |
| Childcare | $2,196 | $1,747 | +$449 |
| Net taxes after credits | $1,416 | $985 | +$431 |
| Food | $1,011 | $1,016 | −$5 |
| Transportation | $1,526 | $1,638 | −$112 |
| Everything else | $1,492 | $1,503 | −$11 |
| Total per month | $10,920 | $8,729 | +$2,191 |
Household Budget Benchmark, family of four (2 adults, 2 children), 3-bedroom. Housing uses HUD Fair Market Rent (ZIP SAFMR where available); other rows are federal series adjusted by state-grain BEA price parities. CEX 2024 · FMR FY2026 · USDA 2026 · RPP 2024 · TY2026 · NDCP 2022 (CPI-inflated to 2026-M08).
Which city has higher prices, Austin or Houston?
BEA Regional Price Parities put overall prices at 98.1 in Austin and 98.6 in Houston, where the U.S. average is 100. RPP is a regional index shown at each city’s BEA grain, not a city-precise price tag.
| RPP component | Austin | Houston | Austin − Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 98.1 | 98.6 | −0.5 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 100.6 | −6.8 |
| Rents | 120.4 | 104.5 | +15.9 |
| Utilities | 82.0 | 95.3 | −13.3 |
| Other services | 96.2 | 95.6 | +0.6 |
Austin: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area · reference year 2024. Houston: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area · reference year 2024.
How much is rent in Austin vs Houston?
HUD sets the 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent at $1,852 in Austin and $1,573 in Houston for HUD fiscal year 2026.
| Bedrooms | Austin | Houston | Austin − Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-BR FMR | $1,562 | $1,323 | +$239 |
| 2-BR FMR | $1,852 | $1,573 | +$279 |
| 3-BR FMR | $2,347 | $2,116 | +$231 |
Austin: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA. Houston: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. HUD FY2026 40th-percentile gross rents.
Are taxes higher in Austin or Houston?
Austin and Houston are both in Texas, so these state-grain tax figures are identical for both cities. Combined state and local sales tax is about 8.2% statewide.
| Measure | Texas (TX) |
|---|---|
| Combined sales tax rate | 8.2% |
| Top state income tax rate | None |
| State and local tax collections per resident | $5,675 |
Sales & income tax rates: state statutes / DOR schedules, TY2026. Collections per resident: Census Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances, FY2024. State totals include local governments. Differences are descriptive. Combined tax-category sampling covariance is unavailable, so no statistical-significance claim is made.
Are utilities and gas cheaper in Austin or Houston?
Austin and Houston are both in Texas, so these state and PADD-region energy prices are identical for both cities. Residential electricity runs about 15.4¢/kWh statewide.
| Measure | Texas (TX) |
|---|---|
| Residential electricity | 15.4¢/kWh |
| Residential natural gas | 18.56 $/Mcf |
| Retail gasoline | 4.05 $/gal |
Electricity & natural gas: EIA state-grain residential prices. Gasoline: EIA PADD 3 (Gulf Coast) vs PADD 3 (Gulf Coast) (PADD-region grain).
What does groceries cost in Austin vs Houston?
A USDA Low-Cost food plan for a family of four is about $1,122 a month nationally; the plan value is a national figure, while local price differences show up through the RPP-adjusted budget above.
| USDA plan (family of 4, monthly) | Austin | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Thrifty plan | $1,018 | $1,018 |
| Low-cost plan | $1,122 | $1,122 |
| Moderate plan | $1,387 | $1,387 |
USDA Cost of Food Plans, May 2026. National grain — identical for every city; the family budget applies each state’s RPP for local context.
Go deeper on Austin and Houston
Sources
Every figure above traces to an official federal or state source, shown with its vintage and geographic grain. Cost-of-living measures are not combined into one composite score. See the cost-of-living methodology.