Median rent is 7% lower in Austin ($1,729/mo vs $1,867/mo). Buying is cheaper in Austin, where the median home runs $555,300 versus $606,900. Households earn more in Austin ($93,658 vs $80,663 a year).
City A
Austin, TX
City B
Baldwin Park, CA
How much would you need to earn in Baldwin Park, CA to maintain your standard of living from Austin, TX?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Austin
Texas
Baldwin Park
California
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rent is modestly lower in Austin at $1,729/mo compared to $1,867/mo in Baldwin Park (7% gap). Median home values are within 9% of each other: $555,300 in Austin and $606,900 in Baldwin Park.
Metric
Austin
Baldwin Park
Software Developer
Registered Nurse
Elementary Teacher
Electrician
Accountant
Higher wage highlighted · BLS OEWS 2023 (metro-level data)
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Austin
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Baldwin Park
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Air quality data is available for Austin (avg AQI 65.0) but not yet for Baldwin Park.
Pick Austin if you prioritize higher median household income ($93,658/yr).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $1,729/mo in Austin, TX and $1,867/mo in Baldwin Park, CA. Austin, TX has the lower rent by about 7%.
Median household income is $93,658 in Austin, TX and $80,663 in Baldwin Park, CA. Austin, TX has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Air quality data is not yet available for one or both cities.
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: June 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
