Moving to Texas from Alabama

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Alabama to Texas — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Alabama to Texas, you would find that Texas is 12.5% more expensive than Alabama. A $75,000 salary in Alabama would need to be roughly $83,699 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Alabama to Texas.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $83,699

To maintain the same standard of living in Texas

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 11.5% more

Groceries

pay 3.3% less

Transportation

pay 11.4% more

Housing

pay 23.1% more

Childcare

pay 17.5% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 8.0% more

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Key Indicator Comparison

How Alabama and Texas stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AL
397
TX
391
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AL
1671
TX
2153

Alabama generally does better on safety, though Texas leads in violent crime rate.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

AL
9.0%
TX
16.0%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

AL
39.6%
TX
36.8%

Alabama generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult obesity rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

AL
$195,100
TX
$260,400
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

AL
$963
TX
$1,339

Alabama performs better than Texas across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

AL
85.9%
TX
90.1%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

AL
25 min
TX
27 min

Alabama generally does better on infrastructure, though Texas leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

AL
2.3%
TX
3.9%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

AL
$49,225
TX
$70,071

Texas generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

AL
73.2 yrs
TX
76.5 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

AL
18%
TX
20%

Texas performs significantly better than Alabama across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Montgomery Rain: 53.1 in/yr (1348 mm)
76° / 54°F

Avg. annual high / low

Austin Rain: 36.2 in/yr (920 mm)
79° / 55°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Montgomery Austin
Jan–Mar 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) 65°/40°F (18°/5°C)
Apr–Jun 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) 85°/63°F (29°/17°C)
Jul–Sep 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) 93°/70°F (34°/21°C)
Oct–Dec 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) 71°/47°F (22°/8°C)
View all months
Month Montgomery Austin
Jan 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C)
Feb 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C)
Mar 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C)
Apr 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C)
May 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C)
Jun 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C)
Jul 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C)
Aug 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C)
Sep 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C)
Oct 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C)
Nov 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C)
Dec 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Texas than Alabama?

Day-to-day costs in Texas run about 12% higher than Alabama on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Texas?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,925 in Texas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Texas safe?

Alabama generally does better on safety, though Texas leads in violent crime rate.

How is healthcare in Texas compared to Alabama?

Alabama generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult obesity rate.

What's the weather like in Texas compared to Alabama?

The average high temperature in Austin is 79°F, compared to 76°F in Montgomery. Austin receives around 36.2 in of rainfall per year, while Montgomery gets 53.1 in.

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