Columbus, GA vs Austin, TX
Moving from Columbus to Austin? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($209,527 → $428,524 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Austin at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Columbus, GA, you'd need about $110,620 in Austin, TX (+$10,620).
Livability — Columbus, GA: 76 · Austin, TX: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,892 sqft in Columbus vs 2,450 sqft in Austin ($102 vs $204 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, GA | Austin, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,336 | $19,620 | +$4,284 |
| Groceries | $4,816 | $4,647 | −$169 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,675 | +$160 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,836 | +$180 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $3,600 | +$1,500 |
| Taxes | $9,327 | $9,558 | +$231 |
| Total | $36,750 | $42,936 | +$6,186 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, GA | Austin, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 88.8 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.87% | 4.30% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 14.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.06 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $209,527 | $428,524 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | -6.0% |
| Price per square foot | $102 | $204 |
| Median rent | $1,278 | $1,635 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.79% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |