Seattle vs Austin — Cost of Living
Rent, overall costs and the equivalent salary you'd need to keep your lifestyle.
| Seattle | Austin | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall cost index | 88 | 72 |
| Rent index | 82 | 65 |
| 1-bed city-centre rent | $2,300 | $1,700 |
A $60,000/year lifestyle in Seattle needs about
$49,091 / year
in Austin (cost-of-living parity, before tax)
Seattle
Set against Austin, Seattle carries an overall index of 88 and a rent index of 82: no state income tax, but rent and general costs are high.
Austin
Austin scores 72 overall and 65 on rent against Seattle’s 82: no state income tax and lower rents make take-home stretch further than the coasts.
Cost of living is only half of what decides a move between Seattle and Austin; tax is the other half, and because both cities sit in United States the tax treatment is identical here — the United States calculator applies to both, so the whole difference is housing and local prices.
What the gap actually costs
Seattle is the more expensive of the two, about 18% ahead of Austin on the combined index (88 against 72), while the gap on rent alone is 21%. Housing does almost all the work between Seattle and Austin: groceries and transport move by tens of percent between cities, rents by multiples.
A one-bedroom city-centre flat runs about $2,300 in Seattle against $1,700 in Austin — $600 a month between them, or $7,200 a year that never reaches your savings.
What is left after rent in Seattle and Austin
On the $60,000 national median behind Seattle, in this comparison with Austin, take-home is about $4,050 a month and a one-bedroom city-centre flat averages $2,300, leaving $1,750 for everything else. At 57% that is above what budgeting guidance calls sustainable, so on this Seattle side of the comparison with Austin a flatshare or a longer commute is a requirement at the median rather than a preference. On rent index that is the heavier of the two here: Austin sits at 65 against 82 for Seattle.
The pressure is not evenly spread across Seattle, and that is what a headline index against Austin hides: at $45,000 the same $2,300 rent takes 74% of take-home and leaves $817, while at $120,000 it takes 32% and leaves $4,882.
On the $60,000 national median behind Austin, in this comparison with Seattle, take-home is about $4,050 a month and a one-bedroom city-centre flat averages $1,700, leaving $2,350 for everything else. At 42% that sits inside the usual 30–40% guidance but not comfortably: Austin, set against Seattle, leaves room to save on $60,000 only with deliberate budgeting. On rent index that is the lighter of the two here: Seattle sits at 82 against 65 for Austin.
The pressure is not evenly spread across Austin, and that is what a headline index against Seattle hides: at $45,000 the same $1,700 rent takes 55% of take-home and leaves $1,417, while at $120,000 it takes 24% and leaves $5,482.
| Salary level | Seattle after rent | Austin after rent | Rent share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below median | $817 | $1,417 | 74% / 55% |
| National median | $1,750 | $2,350 | 57% / 42% |
| Well paid | $3,356 | $3,956 | 41% / 30% |
| Senior / specialist | $4,882 | $5,482 | 32% / 24% |
What common roles pay, and what survives the rent
National medians for five widely-held roles, taxed locally and set against the $2,300 rent in Seattle and $1,700 in Austin. Pay in Seattle and Austin differs from the national figure — capital and financial-centre salaries run above it — so read these as a baseline to adjust from.
| Role | Median gross | Take-home / month | After Seattle rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $120,000 | $7,182 | $4,882 |
| Accountant | $65,000 | $4,357 | $2,057 |
| Registered Nurse | $85,000 | $5,401 | $3,101 |
| Teacher | $62,000 | $4,174 | $1,874 |
| Marketing Manager | $88,000 | $5,554 | $3,254 |
| Role | Median gross | Take-home / month | After Austin rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $120,000 | $7,182 | $5,482 |
| Accountant | $65,000 | $4,357 | $2,657 |
| Registered Nurse | $85,000 | $5,401 | $3,701 |
| Teacher | $62,000 | $4,174 | $2,474 |
| Marketing Manager | $88,000 | $5,554 | $3,854 |
Frequently Asked Questions
+Is Austin cheaper than Seattle?
Austin has an overall cost-of-living index of 72 versus Seattle's 88, so it is cheaper by roughly 18%, driven largely by rent.
+What salary do I need in Austin to match Seattle?
To maintain a $60,000 lifestyle from Seattle, you'd need roughly $49,091 in Austin, based on cost-of-living parity (before tax differences).
+How much rent should I expect in Seattle?
A one-bedroom city-centre flat in Seattle averages about $2,300 a month. On the national median salary that is 57% of take-home, leaving roughly $1,750 a month for everything else.
+How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Austin compared with Seattle?
On Austin's national median of $60,000, take-home is about $4,050 a month and rent takes 42% of it, against 57% in Seattle. Comfort usually starts where rent drops below a third of take-home, which in Austin needs about $79,000 gross against the $60,000 median behind Seattle. Tax status and personal circumstances shift the figure either way.
+Would a higher Austin salary cancel out its costs versus Seattle?
Not reliably. Rent is a fixed monthly cost while tax is progressive, so moving from Seattle to Austin on a proportionally higher salary can still leave you with less: on each city's national median the after-rent figures are $1,750 and $2,350. Compare those columns rather than the gross salaries.
Estimate only — not tax advice. Figures are estimates based on publicly available tax rules and may not reflect your full circumstances. See our methodology & sources (last reviewed June 2026). Always confirm with an official tax authority or a licensed adviser before making decisions.