Cost of Living Comparison
Boston, MA vs Austin, TX
A side-by-side look at what it actually costs to live in Boston, MA compared to Austin, TX — housing, salary, tax, and family-of-living metrics powered by FuturePath City Intelligence.
Moving from
Boston, MA
Northeast · United States
70FuturePath Score
Education/biotech hub with premium housing.
Moving to
Austin, TX
South · United States
88FuturePath Score
Strong tech growth, no state income tax, rising rents.
Metric
Boston, MA
Austin, TX
Change
Median rent (monthly)
$3,100
$1,700
-45.2%
Median home price
$720K
$545K
-24.3%
Median salary
$100,000
$92,000
-8.0%
Effective tax rate
27.0%
22.5%
-4.5 pts
Childcare (monthly)
$2,200
$1,450
-34.1%
Mortgage burden
51.2%
32.1%
-19.1 pts
Cost-of-living score
55
80
+25
Overall score
70
88
+18
Migration momentum
68
89
+21
The quick take
Austin, TX scores higher overall (+18).
- Rent: -45.2% vs Boston, MA
- Salary: -8.0% vs Boston, MA
- Cost-of-living score: +25 (higher = more affordable)
Should you make the move?
These numbers are city-wide averages. FuturePath simulates your income, savings, household, and career path against both cities to score affordability, life readiness, and decision confidence.
Run a personalized scenarioExplore city profiles: Boston, MA · Austin, TX