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Fort Collins, CO vs Austin, TX

Moving from Fort Collins to Austin? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($556,500 → $428,524 median home) and taxes.

Fort Collins vs Austin at a glance

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

Fort Collins, CO Austin, TX Cost-of-living index Fort Collins, CO — Cost-of-living index: 97 97 Austin, TX — Cost-of-living index: 98 98 Median home price Fort Collins, CO — Median home price: $557k $557k Austin, TX — Median home price: $429k $429k Price per sqft Fort Collins, CO — Price per sqft: $293 $293 Austin, TX — Price per sqft: $204 $204 Median rent Fort Collins, CO — Median rent: $1,928 $1,928 Austin, TX — Median rent: $1,635 $1,635 Combined sales tax Fort Collins, CO — Combined sales tax: 7.8% 7.8% Austin, TX — Combined sales tax: 8.2% 8.2% Property tax rate Fort Collins, CO — Property tax rate: 0.52% 0.52% Austin, TX — Property tax rate: 1.71% 1.71% Violent crime /100k Fort Collins, CO — Violent crime /100k: 490 490 Austin, TX — Violent crime /100k: 430 430 Electricity ¢/kWh Fort Collins, CO — Electricity ¢/kWh: 16.5 16.5 Austin, TX — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.0 17.0 Avg commute (min) Fort Collins, CO — Avg commute (min): 23 23 Austin, TX — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Avg summer high °F Fort Collins, CO — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° Austin, TX — Avg summer high °F: 96° 96° Avg winter low °F Fort Collins, CO — Avg winter low °F: 18° 18° Austin, TX — Avg winter low °F: 38° 38°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Fort Collins, CO, you'd need about $100,995 in Austin, TX (+$995).

Livability — Fort Collins, CO: 59 · Austin, TX: 70 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,707 sqft in Fort Collins vs 2,450 sqft in Austin ($293 vs $204 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryFort Collins, COAustin, TXDifference
Housing $23,136 $19,620 −$3,516
Groceries $4,814 $4,647 −$167
Transportation $4,050 $3,675 −$375
Utilities $1,788 $1,836 +$48
Insurance $2,800 $3,600 +$800
Taxes $9,647 $9,558 −$88
Total $46,234 $42,936 −$3,299

Side by side

MetricFort Collins, COAustin, TX
Cost-of-living index97.398.3
Unemployment rate4.57%4.30%
Population growth (5-yr)8.6%14.8%
Air quality (median AQI)5452
Big Mac price (est.)$5.54$5.59
Median home price$556,500$428,524
Home price ÷ income6.4×4.6×
1-yr home appreciation-1.5%-6.0%
Price per square foot$293$204
Median rent$1,928$1,635
Total tax burden (% income)9.7%8.6%
Combined sales tax7.77%8.20%
Capital gains tax4.40%None
Property tax rate0.52%1.71%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$6,800
Childcare (annual, infant)$16,000$9,500
Vehicle property tax1.79%None
Avg commute (min)2327
Home insurance / yr$2,800$3,600
Auto insurance / yr$2,000$2,100
Flood insurance / yr$550$900
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh16.517.0
Gas $/gal3.303.00
Violent crime /100k490430
Avg summer high °F8896
Avg winter low °F1838
Permit difficulty (1–5)32
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