City comparison
Austin, TX vs Gulfport, MS
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent, state taxes and federal GS pay.
Key findings
- Prices in Austin, TX are 9.0% higher than in Gulfport, MS. Someone earning $100,000 in Gulfport, MS would need about $109,000 in Austin, TX to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,562 a month in Austin, TX versus $923 in Gulfport, MS. On $100,000, that's 24% of take-home pay in Austin, TX and 15% in Gulfport, MS.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,268 a year higher in Gulfport, MS than in Austin, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −2.7% moving from Austin, TX to Gulfport, MS ($109,428 → $106,437), while prices change by −8.2%. Net effect of the transfer: +6.0% in real buying power.
- Austin, TX: price level 98.1 (about average)
- Gulfport, MS: price level 90.0 (much cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Austin, TX | Gulfport, MS | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.1 | 90.0 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $91,781 in Gulfport | $108,955 in Austin |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,562/mo | $923/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $75,912 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $3,268 (MS) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 24% | 15% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $56,950 | $43,470 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA and Gulfport-Biloxi, MS HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX and Gulfport-Biloxi, MS.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Austin | Gulfport |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 120.4 | 67.9 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 82.0 | 76.3 |
| Other services | 96.2 | 96.1 |
| Overall | 98.1 | 90.0 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Austin, TX → Gulfport, MS
Same pay goes further
Buying power +9.0%; rent takes 15% of take-home; state tax +$3,268/yr.
97 Strong offer
Gulfport, MS → Austin, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −8.2%; rent takes 24% of take-home; state tax −$3,268/yr.
43 Weak offer
Federal employees: GS pay
Austin, TX is in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX pay area; Gulfport, MS is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from Austin, TX to Gulfport, MS at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Austin, TX | Gulfport, MS | Real change, Austin → Gulfport |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $63,457 | $61,722 | +6.0% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $76,777 | $74,678 | +6.0% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $92,023 | $89,508 | +6.0% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $109,428 | $106,437 | +6.0% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $129,311 | $125,776 | +6.0% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Austin, TX | Gulfport, MS | Gulfport pay in Austin dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $134,100 | $89,840 | $97,885 (−27.0%) |
| Software Developers | $134,120 | $104,240 | $113,575 (−15.3%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $83,120 | $76,380 | $83,220 (+0.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $97,890 | $78,960 | $86,031 (−12.1%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.