New Haven, CT vs Austin, TX
Moving from New Haven to Austin? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($408,096 → $428,524 median home) and taxes.
New Haven 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 New Haven, CT, you'd need about $93,278 in Austin, TX (−$6,722).
Livability — New Haven, CT: 58 · Austin, TX: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,328 sqft in New Haven vs 2,450 sqft in Austin ($215 vs $204 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | New Haven, CT | Austin, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,232 | $19,620 | −$6,612 |
| Groceries | $4,930 | $4,647 | −$283 |
| Transportation | $3,720 | $3,675 | −$45 |
| Utilities | $3,480 | $1,836 | −$1,644 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $3,600 | +$2,000 |
| Taxes | $15,543 | $9,558 | −$5,984 |
| Total | $55,505 | $42,936 | −$12,569 |
Side by side
| Metric | New Haven, CT | Austin, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.4 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.36% | 4.30% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 14.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.99 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $408,096 | $428,524 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.0× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | -6.0% |
| Price per square foot | $215 | $204 |
| Median rent | $2,186 | $1,635 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.4% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.99% | None |
| Property tax rate | 2.17% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.07% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 32.2 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 150 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |