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 | Austin | Brownsville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $872/mo | 77.6% higher in A |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $112,600 | 309.9% higher in A |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $46,735 | 85.2% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.2 | 96.2 | 8.3% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 102.6 | 92.3 | 11.2% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 91.7 | 78.1 | 17.4% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 110.4 | 89.0 | 24.1% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Austin, you'd need $72,615 in Brownsville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Brownsville, TX is about 27.4% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 44% lower in Brownsville than in Austin. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $58,092 in Brownsville to keep the same standard of living.