Median rent is 19% lower in Fort Hood ($1,406/mo vs $1,729/mo). Households earn more in Austin ($93,658 vs $62,835 a year).
City A
Austin, TX
City B
Fort Hood, TX
How much would you need to earn in Fort Hood, TX 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
Fort Hood
Texas
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 Fort Hood at $1,406/mo compared to $1,729/mo in Austin (19% gap).
Metric
Austin
Fort Hood
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
Fort Hood
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Air quality data is available for Austin (avg AQI 65.0) but not yet for Fort Hood.
Pick Austin if you prioritize higher median household income ($93,658/yr).
Pick Fort Hood if you prioritize cheaper rent ($1,406/mo median).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $1,729/mo in Austin, TX and $1,406/mo in Fort Hood, TX. Fort Hood, TX has the lower rent by about 19%.
Median household income is $93,658 in Austin, TX and $62,835 in Fort Hood, TX. 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
