City comparison
Austin, TX vs Salt Lake City, UT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Salt Lake City, UT are 2.9% higher than in Austin, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Austin, TX would need about $102,900 in Salt Lake City, UT to live the same way.
- Rent differs too: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,562 a month in Austin, TX versus $1,456 in Salt Lake City, UT. On $100,000, that's 24% of take-home pay in Austin, TX and 23% in Salt Lake City, UT.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,534 a year higher in Salt Lake City, UT than in Austin, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −2.7% moving from Austin, TX to Salt Lake City, UT ($109,428 → $106,437), while prices change by +2.9%. Net effect of the transfer: −5.4% in real buying power.
- Austin, TX: price level 98.1 (about average)
- Salt Lake City, UT: price level 100.9 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Austin, TX | Salt Lake City, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.1 | 100.9 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $102,857 in Salt Lake City | $97,222 in Austin |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,562/mo | $1,456/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $75,646 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $3,534 (UT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 24% | 23% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $56,950 | $55,240 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA and Salt Lake City, UT HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX and Salt Lake City-Murray, UT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Austin | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 120.4 | 123.3 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.4 |
| Utilities | 82.0 | 79.0 |
| Other services | 96.2 | 99.0 |
| Overall | 98.1 | 100.9 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Austin, TX → Salt Lake City, UT
Same pay buys less
Buying power −2.8%; rent takes 23% of take-home; state tax +$3,534/yr.
60 Fair offer
Salt Lake City, UT → Austin, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +2.9%; rent takes 24% of take-home; state tax −$3,534/yr.
78 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Austin, TX is in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX pay area; Salt Lake City, UT is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from Austin, TX to Salt Lake City, UT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Austin, TX | Salt Lake City, UT | Real change, Austin → Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $63,457 | $61,722 | −5.4% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $76,777 | $74,678 | −5.4% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $92,023 | $89,508 | −5.4% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $109,428 | $106,437 | −5.4% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $129,311 | $125,776 | −5.4% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Austin, TX | Salt Lake City, UT | Salt Lake City pay in Austin dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $61,270 | $77,920 | $75,755 (+23.6%) |
| Software Developers | $134,120 | $129,600 | $126,000 (−6.1%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $83,120 | $82,100 | $79,819 (−4.0%) |
| Registered Nurses | $97,890 | $85,890 | $83,504 (−14.7%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.