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I have recently been offered a job in Austin, Texas with a $35,000 salary with full benefits. I currently live in the Toledo, OH area and have no idea about the cost of living in Austin. So my question is, is a 35k salary a livable income to live and work in South Austin? Thanks!
Depends on what you are used to. Austin, TX is not a particularly high cost of living area. If you think you should drive a model year 2013 car, you're pretty much screwed anywhere. If you keep your expenses modest, you'll be just fine. Texas in particularly is known for cheap housing costs, as well as no state income tax. Texas is hot, but Ohio is hot enough to be bad in the summer and sucks all winter, so on the whole it is a weather upgrade.
I moved to Austin from Chicago and the cost of living for me is HIGHER here. Hopefully by south Austin you don't mean SOCO which is probably one of the more expensive areas. I pay 50-100% more for everything here but gas.
I moved to Austin from Chicago and the cost of living for me is HIGHER here. Hopefully by south Austin you don't mean SOCO which is probably one of the more expensive areas. I pay 50-100% more for everything here but gas.
That's odd, I just ran three in-depth cost of living calculators for a move from Chicago, IL to Austin, TX and they all said Austin is cheaper from 8000-10000 dollars (based on a 50k salary).
My husband had a job offer in Austin so I took a hard look at rents there recently. For us a comparable house in the Barton Creek area, NW of the city (I believe) was more than we pay in Vail. Check pad mapper and Zillow of rental prices to see if it works for you I was surprised at the cost of rent there. On the upside Austin could be a very fun change.
Austin is a target destination for many, many people. That also means it has sprawled quite a bit over the years. Rents are high because of UT, and because of the unending influx of new residents. In my brief experience with the city (my brother lives there, and my mom moved there last year), I find that in order to find the reasonably priced homes Texas seems to be famous ford (don't know a lot about rents) , you're going to be out on the fringes in one direction or the other (usually north or south), and facing a slog of a commute every day.
That being said, the city has a lot going for it, and I can see why it's a draw to so many people. Just keep in mind that the summers are VERY hot and humid. Ohio gets humid, yes, but Austin is something entirely different.
My husband had a job offer in Austin so I took a hard look at rents there recently. For us a comparable house in the Barton Creek area, NW of the city (I believe) was more than we pay in Vail. Check pad mapper and Zillow of rental prices to see if it works for you I was surprised at the cost of rent there. On the upside Austin could be a very fun change.
Every city caters to all different social classes, rent doesn't have to be expensive if you don't want it to be. I just did a search within the city of Austin (rent is cheaper just outside city limits) and from low prices it starts at 570$/month (studio), a 1 br is 725$. Again if you go just outside the city it drops off. Also, many private owners just post on craigslist so check there, if you go this route it is usually cheaper, but you'll want to conduct a full inspection of the property and meet the landlord before you do this. I also recommend new city dwellers to try to pick up shorter leases, 3-9 months and then go from there...you just never know with a new job/city.
I have recently been offered a job in Austin, Texas with a $35,000 salary with full benefits. I currently live in the Toledo, OH area and have no idea about the cost of living in Austin. So my question is, is a 35k salary a livable income to live and work in South Austin? Thanks!
That depends on what you're earning now. My sister lives in Austin and I live in Houston, so I am very familiar with the area. There are hidden expenses with living in Texas some people may not understand. To be able to compare more accurately, it is wise to run a cost of living calculator before you commit. Austin has had exponential population growth the past few years and traffic has become a nightmare. It is even worse that Houston's. So if you choose to move, it may be worth paying extra to rent a place near your job. Home prices and rents tend to be cheaper than the rest of the country, however, property taxes and the state sales tax is high. Since there is no state income tax, the state sales tax is 8.25%.
The city is very hot with a good bit of humidity most of the year. Temps hit over 90 degrees at least three months in the summer and are 80+ about 7 months each year. However, the people are friendly, there is some great shopping, and you get a wide variety of fantastic restaurants, and snow is a rare visitor. One other downside is the Texas school system has poor academic standards (ranked 48th place). Parents often choose to put their kids in private school or home school. Good luck!
Every city caters to all different social classes, rent doesn't have to be expensive if you don't want it to be. I just did a search within the city of Austin (rent is cheaper just outside city limits) and from low prices it starts at 570$/month (studio), a 1 br is 725$. Again if you go just outside the city it drops off. Also, many private owners just post on craigslist so check there, if you go this route it is usually cheaper, but you'll want to conduct a full inspection of the property and meet the landlord before you do this. I also recommend new city dwellers to try to pick up shorter leases, 3-9 months and then go from there...you just never know with a new job/city.
I was just looking for a comparable house to what we have in Vail, which is very expensive. Places that are $2,500 here were closer to $3,500 there. I'm sure there are apartments there that are inexpensive, but I was surprised at the cost of a nice home in a nice suburb.
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