City comparison
Austin, TX vs San Luis Obispo, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent, state taxes and federal GS pay.
Key findings
- Prices in San Luis Obispo, CA are 10.7% higher than in Austin, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Austin, TX would need about $110,700 in San Luis Obispo, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,914 a month in San Luis Obispo, CA versus $1,562 in Austin, TX. On $100,000, that's 31% of take-home pay in San Luis Obispo, CA and 24% in Austin, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $5,070 a year higher in San Luis Obispo, CA than in Austin, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +13.4% moving from Austin, TX to San Luis Obispo, CA ($109,428 → $124,085), while prices change by +10.7%. Net effect of the transfer: +2.4% in real buying power.
- Austin, TX: price level 98.1 (about average)
- San Luis Obispo, CA: price level 108.6 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Austin, TX | San Luis Obispo, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.1 | 108.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $110,738 in San Luis Obispo | $90,304 in Austin |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,562/mo | $1,914/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $74,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $5,070 (CA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 24% | 31% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $56,950 | $50,770 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA |
Rent areas: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA MSA. Metro areas: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Austin | San Luis Obispo |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 120.4 | 144.4 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 105.2 |
| Utilities | 82.0 | 147.8 |
| Other services | 96.2 | 100.3 |
| Overall | 98.1 | 108.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Austin, TX → San Luis Obispo, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −9.7%; rent takes 31% of take-home; state tax +$5,070/yr.
29 Weak offer
San Luis Obispo, CA → Austin, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +10.7%; rent takes 24% of take-home; state tax −$5,070/yr.
100 Strong offer
Federal employees: GS pay
Austin, TX is in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX pay area; San Luis Obispo, CA is in Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Austin, TX to San Luis Obispo, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Austin, TX | San Luis Obispo, CA | Real change, Austin → San Luis Obispo |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $63,457 | $71,957 | +2.4% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $76,777 | $87,061 | +2.4% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $92,023 | $104,349 | +2.4% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $109,428 | $124,085 | +2.4% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $129,311 | $146,632 | +2.4% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Austin, TX | San Luis Obispo, CA | San Luis Obispo pay in Austin dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $134,100 | $133,100 | $120,194 (−10.4%) |
| Software Developers | $134,120 | $135,020 | $121,928 (−9.1%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $83,120 | $88,160 | $79,612 (−4.2%) |
| Registered Nurses | $97,890 | $138,820 | $125,359 (+28.1%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.