Overall
98.1
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Cost-of-living indicators for Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 98.1
- Overall RPP
- #113
- of 387 metros
- 120.4
- Rents RPP
- $102K
- $100K national buys
Austin ranks #113 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal
The verdict
Austin costs less than 29% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 98.1, 1.9% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 120.4.
- bottom 71%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.8
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 82.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $101,972 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $98,066.
Austin vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
98 Top 29% higher than 71% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Austin cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
120.4 RPP
- Services
Services
82 RPP
- Overall
Overall
98.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.8 RPP
What this shows Austin's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 120.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 82.0. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Austin's cost comes from
Metros near Austin's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Austin (Austin, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 120.4
- Hilton Head Island: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 101.2
- Carson City: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 101.2
- Raleigh: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 103.5
- Virginia Beach: goods RPP 96.8, rents RPP 99.8
- Provo: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 104.1
- Prescott Valley: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 98.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.8
Below avg
Services
82.0
Cheap
Rents
120.4
Expensive
Housing-led cost profile
How Austin's cost structure works
Housing is the defining pressure in Austin: rents index at 120.4, the furthest component above the national benchmark. The overall index of 98.1 places Austin in the more-expensive half of U.S. metros; the rent line explains why a similar headline RPP can still require a different housing budget.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Fort Collins-Loveland, CO, Colorado Springs, CO, Ogden, UT. They resemble Austin across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Austin's overall index has stayed within 1.5 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$98,066
in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$49,033
$75,000 nationally
$73,550
$125,000 nationally
$122,583
$150,000 nationally
$147,099
$200,000 nationally
$196,132
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
11/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
11th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Austin's overall RPP fell -0.2 points, from 98.3 in 2023 to 98.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 89.2 to 82.0. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.5 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 2.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Austin overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.6 |
| 2009 | 98.9 |
| 2010 | 99.8 |
| 2011 | 100.3 |
| 2012 | 100.9 |
| 2013 | 100.8 |
| 2014 | 101.4 |
| 2015 | 101.6 |
| 2016 | 102.6 |
| 2017 | 101.8 |
| 2018 | 99.0 |
| 2019 | 99.4 |
| 2020 | 101.1 |
| 2021 | 100.0 |
| 2022 | 98.8 |
| 2023 | 98.3 |
| 2024 | 98.1 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Austin's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 82.2 · Rents 120.6 Colorado Springs, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 83.2 · Rents 116.2 Ogden, UT
Goods 96.4 · Services 78.8 · Rents 117.9 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
Goods 96.4 · Services 79.0 · Rents 123.3 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.2 · Rents 123.4 Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.2 · Rents 119.8
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX's index of 98.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
TX-relative analysis
Goods prices places Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX near the bottom of TX's metros
Among the 26 TX metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX ranks #3 - the 4th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 26
4th percentile in TX
Services prices
#16 of 26
38th percentile in TX
Rent prices
#1 of 26
96th percentile in TX
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within TX only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (98.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (120.4 here).
Other TX Metros
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 103.1 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 98.6 Midland, TX 95.8 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 94.7 Odessa, TX 93.9 Sherman-Denison, TX 93.8
View all TX metros → Cheapest in TX → Most expensive in TX →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Austin
How to read Austin's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $101,972 in Austin. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 120.4, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Austin head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 98.1, meaning it is 1.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 82.0, and rents at 120.4. It ranks #113 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $98,066 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. Conversely, $100K earned in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX has the purchasing power of $101,972 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?
Rents in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX are indexed at 120.4, which is 20.4% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX's overall cost index changed by -1.5 points (from 99.6 to 98.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?
The priciest category in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX is rents at 120.4, 20.4% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 82.0, 18.0% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, Carson City, Raleigh-Cary. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX's 98.1.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.