City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Alexandria | Austin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $928/mo | $1,549/mo | 40.1% lower in A |
| Median home value | $179,900 | $461,500 | 61.0% lower in A |
| Median household income | $49,049 | $86,556 | 43.3% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 95.2 | 95.2 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 78.2 | 85.9 | 8.9% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.2 | 97.5 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 95.4 | 95.8 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Alexandria, you'd need $133,886 in Austin to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Alexandria, LA is about 25.3% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 51% lower in Alexandria than in Austin. If you earn $80,000 in Alexandria, you'd need about $107,109 in Austin to keep the same standard of living.