Austin, TX vs Columbia, SC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $591 a month in Columbia.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 40.9 points (Austin 120.4, Columbia 79.5).
Texas has no tax on wages. South Carolina taxes wages at rates up to 6.00%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.7 percentage points, higher in Texas. The effective property tax gap is 0.87 percentage points, higher in Texas.
After a move from Texas to South Carolina, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Austin lines up with about $71,632 in Columbia on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Austin
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,817
- HUD area
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,784
- All-items price parity
- 98.1
- Goods price parity
- 93.8
- Utilities price parity
- 82.0
- Mean commute
- 28.2 min
- Median household income
- $99,897
Columbia
Columbia, SC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,226
- HUD area
- Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,257
- All-items price parity
- 93.7
- Goods price parity
- 96.3
- Utilities price parity
- 88.3
- Mean commute
- 25.8 min
- Median household income
- $70,788
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$71,632
Salary in Columbia that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$75,896
Gross salary in Columbia whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$50,605
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Texas | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | No wage tax | up to 6.00% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 8.2% | 7.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.31% | 0.45% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $5,246 a year in Texas and $1,786 in South Carolina. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in South Carolina
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Texas and once in South Carolina. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
AustinLikely eligible
ColumbiaLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
AustinLikely eligible
ColumbiaLikely eligible
WIC
AustinLikely eligible
ColumbiaLikely eligible
School meals
AustinLikely eligible
ColumbiaLikely eligible
LIHEAP
AustinMaybe
ColumbiaMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
AustinLikely eligible
ColumbiaLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
AustinLikely eligible
ColumbiaLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
AustinLikely eligible
ColumbiaLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
AustinLikely eligible
ColumbiaLikely eligible
SSI
AustinUnlikely
ColumbiaUnlikely
| Program | Austin | Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Austin
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Austin.
- Austin and San Francisco · rent gap $1,880
- Austin and San Jose · rent gap $1,455
- Austin and Boston · rent gap $1,191
- Austin and New York · rent gap $1,154
- Austin and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,147
- Austin and San Diego · rent gap $1,006
- Austin and McAllen · rent gap $800
- Austin and Wichita · rent gap $774
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.