Austin, TX → Washington, DC
Moving to Washington costs you $277 a month
−$3,324 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 712 households moved Austin → Washington (avg AGI $108,176). 962 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Austin | Washington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,125 | $9,688 | +$1,563 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,710 | $2,760 | +$1,050 |
| Take-home pay | $6,415 | $6,927 | +$513 |
| Rent | $1,226 | $1,929 | +$703 |
| Getting around | $566 | $463 | −$103 |
| Groceries | $400 | $452 | +$52 |
| Healthcare | $450 | $508 | +$58 |
| Utilities | $250 | $283 | +$33 |
| Everything else | $350 | $395 | +$45 |
| Left over | $3,173 | $2,896 | −$277 |
To break even in Washington, you'd need to earn
$121,500
Household gross, versus $97,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Austin does now.
The tax difference alone
−$7,040
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.0% in Austin, 28.5% in Washington.
More about Washington
Austin, TX in full
No income tax, but property taxes are among the steepest anywhere.
Washington, DC in full
Recession-resistant government and consulting pay, humid summers, real transit.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Washington on Washington wages.
Washington → Austin →Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.