Moving from Louisiana
to Austin.
280 Louisiana tax returns moved to Travis County in the IRS 2022-2023 migration year, with an average AGI of \$75,000. New Orleans-to-Austin is a culture-and-lifestyle move with modest tax savings. Louisiana has the highest combined sales tax in the country (Texas is comparable) and lower home prices.
Should I move from Louisiana to Austin?
New Orleans-to-Austin is a culture-and-lifestyle move with modest tax savings. Louisiana has the highest combined sales tax in the country (Texas is comparable) and lower home prices.
At a $150,000 single-filer salary, the Texas tax savings against Louisiana are roughly \$4,500 a year. At a $300,000 married household, roughly \$9,000. 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.
Louisiana median rent: \$1,500/mo for a 1BR. Median home: \$260,000. Austin: \$2,180/mo and $842K. Run your specific numbers →
Louisiana has flat 3% state income tax. Texas has zero. The honest delta is smaller than the headline.
The Louisiana-to-Austin move pencils for households who can absorb the Austin housing-cost premium and benefit from the state income tax flip. New Orleans-to-Austin is a culture-and-lifestyle move with modest tax savings. Louisiana has the highest combined sales tax in the country (Texas is comparable) and lower home prices.
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 Louisiana as the comparison baseline before you commit.
Where do Louisiana transplants live in Austin?
The neighborhoods most Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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.