Moving from California
to Austin.
4617 California tax returns moved to Travis County in the IRS 2022-2023 migration year, with an average AGI of \$179,755. California-to-Austin is the most-cited migration in the headlines but the math depends on income. Below $200K household, the Texas property tax and insurance eat back most of the income tax savings.
Should I move from California to Austin?
California-to-Austin is the most-cited migration in the headlines but the math depends on income. Below $200K household, the Texas property tax and insurance eat back most of the income tax savings.
At a $150,000 single-filer salary, the Texas tax savings against California are roughly \$9,977 a year. At a $300,000 married household, roughly \$19,955. The Texas property tax and homeowner insurance eat back $7,000 to $17,000 a year on a typical Austin home, depending on home price.
California median rent: \$3,500/mo for a 1BR. Median home: \$1,400,000. Austin: \$2,180/mo and $842K. Run your specific numbers →
Looking for the editorial deep-dive?
This page is the California-to-Austin SEO landing page with the calculator and the data. For the full editorial archetype with original IRS county-by-county analysis, the Reddit citations from named usernames, and the deep cohort breakdown, read California to Austin: the deep-dive guide.
California has graduated 1% to 12.3% state income tax. Texas has zero. The honest delta is smaller than the headline.
The California-to-Austin move pencils for households who can absorb the Austin housing-cost premium and benefit from the state income tax flip. California-to-Austin is the most-cited migration in the headlines but the math depends on income. Below $200K household, the Texas property tax and insurance eat back most of the income tax savings.
The full math depends on your specific income, your home price, and whether you rent or buy in Austin. The cost-of-being-you calculator on our cost-of-living page models federal tax, FICA, Texas state-and-local taxes, housing, utilities, auto insurance, and sales tax against your origin state. Run it with California as the comparison baseline before you commit.
Where do California transplants live in Austin?
The neighborhoods most California transplants land in.
For most under-40 transplants, the dense corridor: East Austin, Hyde Park, Mueller, and South Congress. For families with school-age kids, West Lake Hills for Eanes ISD, or the northern suburbs for Round Rock or Leander ISD at lower house prices.
Run the calculator. Read the deep guide.
The financial case for moving from California to Austin depends on your specific salary, your specific home price, and whether you can absorb the Austin housing premium. The lifestyle case depends on whether you can absorb the four-month indoor summer and commit to one structured repeating activity by month six. Both cases are easier to evaluate with the actual numbers.
Run the cost calculator against your specific income and home price. Read the full Austin guide for the editorial context. Check the four archetype guides: moving in your 20s, moving with kids, moving from California, moving from New York.