Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + 15% lower cost of living
- + $749/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - $10K lower median salary
- - More environmental violations
Moving from Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 113.6 to 98.1 (100 = US average), so a Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim salary needs to be multiplied by 0.86 to hold the same purchasing power in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $2,601/month in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to $1,852/month in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos - a lower monthly bill of $749, or $8,988/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $82,276 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim versus $71,789 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos - a raw gap of $10,487 lower. The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos labor market has 1,265,270 tracked jobs against 6,167,970 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos are 477 and 395 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 21.5:1 at origin versus 14.7:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $17,920/year in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim versus $7,566/year in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos. Our composite verdict - Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to see what you'd need to earn in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos more expensive than Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
What are salaries like in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos compared to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
Is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos safer than Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
How much would I need to earn in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to match my Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim salary?
What does the "Favorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.