Manchester, NH vs Austin, TX
Moving from Manchester to Austin? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $428,524 median home) and taxes.
Manchester 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $93,045 in Austin, TX (−$6,955).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Austin, TX: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 2,450 sqft in Austin ($292 vs $204 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Austin, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $19,620 | −$6,012 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $4,647 | −$289 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $3,675 | +$720 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $1,836 | −$1,104 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $3,600 | +$2,600 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $9,558 | +$2,877 |
| Total | $44,143 | $42,936 | −$1,208 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Austin, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 4.30% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 14.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $428,524 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | -6.0% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $204 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $1,635 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |