SalaryCompareTool

Austin, TX vs Albuquerque, NM

Moving from Austin to Albuquerque? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($428,524 → $352,894 median home) and taxes.

Austin vs Albuquerque at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Austin, TX Albuquerque, NM Cost-of-living index Austin, TX — Cost-of-living index: 98 98 Albuquerque, NM — Cost-of-living index: 94 94 Median home price Austin, TX — Median home price: $429k $429k Albuquerque, NM — Median home price: $353k $353k Price per sqft Austin, TX — Price per sqft: $204 $204 Albuquerque, NM — Price per sqft: $191 $191 Median rent Austin, TX — Median rent: $1,635 $1,635 Albuquerque, NM — Median rent: $1,502 $1,502 Combined sales tax Austin, TX — Combined sales tax: 8.2% 8.2% Albuquerque, NM — Combined sales tax: 7.8% 7.8% Property tax rate Austin, TX — Property tax rate: 1.71% 1.71% Albuquerque, NM — Property tax rate: 0.93% 0.93% Violent crime /100k Austin, TX — Violent crime /100k: 430 430 Albuquerque, NM — Violent crime /100k: 780 780 Electricity ¢/kWh Austin, TX — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.0 17.0 Albuquerque, NM — Electricity ¢/kWh: 15.2 15.2 Avg commute (min) Austin, TX — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Albuquerque, NM — Avg commute (min): 24 24 Avg summer high °F Austin, TX — Avg summer high °F: 96° 96° Albuquerque, NM — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Austin, TX — Avg winter low °F: 38° 38° Albuquerque, NM — Avg winter low °F: 25° 25°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Austin, TX, you'd need about $95,269 in Albuquerque, NM (−$4,731).

Livability — Austin, TX: 70 · Albuquerque, NM: 60 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,450 sqft in Austin vs 2,621 sqft in Albuquerque ($204 vs $191 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryAustin, TXAlbuquerque, NMDifference
Housing $19,620 $18,024 −$1,596
Groceries $4,647 $4,871 +$224
Transportation $3,675 $3,260 −$415
Utilities $1,836 $1,632 −$204
Insurance $3,600 $1,900 −$1,700
Taxes $9,558 $10,881 +$1,323
Total $42,936 $40,568 −$2,368

Side by side

MetricAustin, TXAlbuquerque, NM
Cost-of-living index98.393.6
Unemployment rate4.30%5.69%
Population growth (5-yr)14.8%1.2%
Air quality (median AQI)5261
Big Mac price (est.)$5.59$5.33
Median home price$428,524$352,894
Home price ÷ income4.6×5.5×
1-yr home appreciation-6.0%1.0%
Price per square foot$204$191
Median rent$1,635$1,502
Total tax burden (% income)8.6%10.2%
Combined sales tax8.20%7.78%
Capital gains taxNone5.90%
Property tax rate1.71%0.93%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$6,400
Childcare (annual, infant)$9,500$10,000
Vehicle property taxNoneNone
Avg commute (min)2724
Home insurance / yr$3,600$1,900
Auto insurance / yr$2,100$1,600
Flood insurance / yr$900$550
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh17.015.2
Gas $/gal3.003.20
Violent crime /100k430780
Avg summer high °F9692
Avg winter low °F3825
Permit difficulty (1–5)23

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