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 | Lancaster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,576/mo | 1.7% lower in A |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $368,800 | 25.1% higher in A |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $71,367 | 21.3% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 95.2 | 105.9 | 10.0% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 85.9 | 148.5 | 42.2% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.5 | 104.4 | 6.6% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 95.8 | 104.3 | 8.1% lower 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 $123,504 in Lancaster to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Austin, TX is about 19% cheaper overall than Lancaster, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 23% lower in Austin than in Lancaster. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $98,804 in Lancaster to keep the same standard of living.