Median rent is 8% lower in Wake Forest ($1,596/mo vs $1,729/mo). Buying is cheaper in Wake Forest, where the median home runs $474,500 versus $555,300. Households earn more in Wake Forest ($123,802 vs $93,658 a year).
City A
Austin, TX
City B
Wake Forest, NC
How much would you need to earn in Wake Forest, NC 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
Wake Forest
North Carolina
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 Wake Forest at $1,596/mo compared to $1,729/mo in Austin (8% gap). Median home values are within 15% of each other: $555,300 in Austin and $474,500 in Wake Forest.
Metric
Austin
Wake Forest
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
Wake Forest
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Air quality data is available for Austin (avg AQI 65.0) but not yet for Wake Forest.
Pick Wake Forest if you prioritize higher median household income ($123,802/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 $1,596/mo in Wake Forest, NC. Wake Forest, NC has the lower rent by about 8%.
Median household income is $93,658 in Austin, TX and $123,802 in Wake Forest, NC. Wake Forest, NC 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
