Cost of Living: Austin, TX vs El Paso, TX

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,516/mo in Austin, TX versus $4,516/mo in El Paso, TX. In the model, rent is about 24.12% of gross in Austin, TX versus 15.17% in El Paso, TX, so El Paso, TX tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Austin, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in El Paso, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Austin, TX
24.12%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in El Paso, TX
15.17%
COLI tier: lower-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Austin, TX and El Paso, TX.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): El Paso, TX
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): El Paso, TX
  • Lower home prices: El Paso, TX
  • Higher median household income: Austin, TX

Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX: 112.7 (U.S. = 100) · El Paso, TX: 85.2 (U.S. = 100)

El Paso, TX has a lower cost-of-living index than Austin, TX, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Austin, TX: $1,573/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · El Paso, TX: $989/mo

Median rent in Austin, TX is $584/mo higher than in El Paso, TX.

Median Home Price

Austin, TX: $512,700 · El Paso, TX: $171,700

Median home price in Austin, TX is $341,000 higher than in El Paso, TX.

Median Household Income

Austin, TX: $91,461 · El Paso, TX: $58,734

Austin, TX has a higher median household income than El Paso, TX by $32,727.

Austin, TX overview · El Paso, TX overview · Popular comparisons