Fargo, ND vs Austin, TX
Moving from Fargo to Austin? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,854 → $428,524 median home) and taxes.
Fargo 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 Fargo, ND, you'd need about $110,255 in Austin, TX (+$10,255).
Livability — Fargo, ND: 68 · Austin, TX: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,592 sqft in Fargo vs 2,450 sqft in Austin ($193 vs $204 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fargo, ND | Austin, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,872 | $19,620 | +$5,748 |
| Groceries | $4,850 | $4,647 | −$203 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,675 | +$545 |
| Utilities | $1,332 | $1,836 | +$504 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $3,600 | +$1,500 |
| Taxes | $8,083 | $9,558 | +$1,475 |
| Total | $33,367 | $42,936 | +$9,569 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fargo, ND | Austin, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.30% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.2% | 14.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $327,854 | $428,524 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.2% | -6.0% |
| Price per square foot | $193 | $204 |
| Median rent | $1,156 | $1,635 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.8% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.04% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.20% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 18 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.3 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 290 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | -2 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |