Seattle vs Austin: What Your Housing Budget Actually Buys
The single biggest reason people leave the Puget Sound for Central Texas is housing. Seattle's median home price sits somewhere around $900,000 to $1.1 million in 2026, and the Eastside is a different universe entirely. Median prices in Bellevue, Kirkland, Sammamish, and Issaquah run near $1.6 million. Austin, by comparison, looks like a discount.
The Austin metro median sits near $426,000 in 2026, with the City of Austin proper closer to the low-to-mid $500Ks. That means the same money that buys a modest Eastside townhouse can buy a detached house with a yard here, often in a good school zone.
| Market | Approx. 2026 median home price |
|---|---|
| Bellevue / Eastside | ~$1.6M |
| Seattle (city) | ~$900K-$1.1M |
| City of Austin | ~$530K |
| Austin metro | ~$426K |
| Round Rock / Williamson County | ~$370K |
Everyday costs follow the same pattern. Cost-of-living indexes put Seattle roughly 30% higher than Austin on non-housing expenses and about 25% higher on rent. For a full breakdown of groceries, utilities, and what different income levels feel like here, our guide on the cost of living in Austin goes deep. When you are ready to see what your number actually buys, you can browse homes for sale in Austin by price tier.
The Tax Shift: No Income Tax Stays, but Property Taxes Jump
Here is the part almost every Washington transplant gets wrong. You already live in a no-income-tax state, so Texas does not hand you a new windfall on that front. Both Washington and Texas skip a personal income tax. What changes is where the state collects instead.
Texas leans hard on property taxes. Effective rates run roughly 1.4% statewide and closer to 1.8% to 2.2% once you stack city, county, school, and MUD districts in parts of the Austin metro. Washington's effective property tax rate is far lower, around 0.75% to 0.78%.
On a $600,000 home, that gap is real:
| State | Effective rate | Annual property tax (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | ~0.78% | ~$4,680 |
| Texas (Austin metro) | ~1.8%-2.0% | ~$10,800-$12,000 |
So budget for a bigger property tax bill even though your income tax stays at zero. The good news: Texas voters approved a $140,000 school-district homestead exemption, which meaningfully lowers the taxable value on your primary residence. If you sold a lot of stock to fund the move, note that Washington's 7% capital gains tax on high earners does not exist in Texas, which can matter for equity-heavy Microsoft and Amazon comp. Our Austin property tax guide explains the exemptions, how to protest your appraisal, and how MUD districts work before you buy.
The Weather Trade: Trading Gray for Glare
You are leaving the land of the "Seattle Freeze" drizzle for a place with around 220-plus sunny days a year. That is the headline swap, and most transplants love it in January and question it in August.
Seattle gets roughly 39 inches of rain spread across about 150 gray days. Austin actually gets a similar annual rainfall total, around 35 inches, but it falls in concentrated bursts in spring and fall, so day-to-day life is dramatically brighter. Winters here are short and mild. You will not miss scraping frost off your car most mornings.
The flip side is summer. Austin regularly tops 100°F from June through September, and the heat is not a suggestion. Locals shift outdoor activity to early morning or evening and lean on the springs, lakes, and greenbelts to cool off. If you loved cool, misty PNW summers, this is the adjustment that takes the longest. Barton Springs (a constant 68-70°F) becomes your new best friend fast.
Tech Jobs: Silicon Hills for the Puget Sound Crowd
Austin's nickname is Silicon Hills, and the ecosystem is dense enough that most Seattle tech workers land softly. Microsoft runs a regional office in Northwest Austin, and Amazon operates corporate offices for AWS, retail, advertising, and devices across the metro, plus operations sites. Internal transfers from Redmond and Bellevue are a well-worn path.
The surrounding roster reads familiar: Oracle moved its headquarters here, Tesla's Gigafactory and headquarters sit just east of town, and Apple, Google, Meta, Samsung, AMD, NXP, and Dell all run large operations. That density matters for two-income households because a trailing spouse or partner has real options. If you are choosing a home around your campus, our guide to the best Austin neighborhoods for tech workers maps each employer to the areas that minimize your commute.
Best Austin Neighborhoods for Seattle Transplants
Where you land depends on whether you want a walkable urban vibe like Capitol Hill or South Lake Union, or a family suburb like Sammamish with top schools.
If you want walkable and urban
- The Domain / North Burnet: Austin's "second downtown," full of mid-rise apartments, walkable retail, and tech offices. It is the natural pick if you work the North Austin corridor and want a car-optional life.
- Mueller: A master-planned, walkable neighborhood with a farmers market, parks, and mixed housing. It is the most-requested central area for tech workers who want community feel.
- East Austin: Cafes, bars, and new townhomes two miles from downtown, popular with younger transplants. See our East Austin buyer's guide for the zip-code breakdown.
- Zilker / Barton Hills: Central, leafy, and steps from the hike-and-bike trail and Barton Springs. This is the closest thing to that outdoorsy PNW-adjacent lifestyle inside the city.
If you want suburbs and schools
- Cedar Park & Leander: Newer homes, more yard for the money, and highly rated Leander ISD. Roughly 15-20 minutes from Apple's Parmer campus. Start with our Cedar Park buyer's guide.
- Round Rock: The obvious call for Dell workers, with strong Round Rock ISD schools and solid value in the $400Ks to $650Ks.
- Lakeway & Bee Cave: Hill Country scenery, lake access, and top-rated Lake Travis ISD for buyers who want space and views over density.
For a wider tour with prices, Walk Scores, and school ratings, see our roundup of the best neighborhoods in Austin.
Relocation Timeline and Common Surprises
Most Seattle-to-Austin moves run on a 60-to-90-day clock once a transfer or offer is confirmed. A realistic sequence: lock your start date, take a scouting trip to drive a few neighborhoods, decide on rent-first versus buy-now, get pre-approved, and line up movers early since long-haul truck slots fill up. Many transplants rent for six to twelve months to learn the geography before buying. Our complete Austin relocation guide has a full checklist and the current market timing.
A few things that catch PNW folks off guard:
- People talk to you. After the Seattle Freeze, Austin's chattiness in checkout lines and bars is a genuine adjustment, usually a welcome one.
- You will drive more. Austin is more car-dependent than Seattle, and I-35 traffic plus ongoing construction tests everyone's patience.
- The nature is different, not absent. No Cascades or Puget Sound, but you get rivers, swimming holes, and the Hill Country. The scale is smaller and the summer window is tighter.
- BBQ and Tex-Mex replace seafood and pho. The food is fantastic but the defaults shift.
What you gain is real financial breathing room, sunshine, and a comparable liberal, music-driven culture. What you miss is dramatic evergreen scenery, mild summers, and Seattle's transit and walkability. If those trade-offs sound right, the next step is easy: start a home search in the neighborhoods above and see current listings that fit your budget and commute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Austin than Seattle?
Yes, meaningfully so, mostly because of housing. Austin's metro median home price near $426,000 is roughly half of Seattle's and a fraction of Bellevue's ~$1.6 million. Everyday costs also run about 30% lower on non-housing expenses. Higher property taxes offset some of that savings, but most Seattle transplants come out ahead overall.
Do I pay more taxes moving from Washington to Texas?
Both states have no personal income tax, so that stays the same. The difference is property tax: Texas rates (roughly 1.8% to 2.0% effective in the Austin metro) are more than double Washington's ~0.78%. However, Texas has no capital gains tax, unlike Washington's 7% levy on high earners, which can help stock-heavy tech comp. Your total picture depends on home price and how much stock you sell.
How bad is Austin summer compared to Seattle?
It is the biggest adjustment for PNW transplants. Austin routinely hits 100°F-plus from June through September, versus Seattle summers that rarely top 88°F. Most locals shift outdoor plans to mornings and evenings and rely on springs, lakes, and pools. The upside is far more sunshine year-round and short, mild winters.
Which Austin neighborhoods are best for Microsoft and Amazon transplants?
For a walkable, urban feel like Capitol Hill, look at The Domain, Mueller, or East Austin. For family living with strong schools, Cedar Park, Leander, Round Rock, and Lakeway are popular. The right pick depends on which office you report to and whether you prioritize walkability or square footage.
Should I rent or buy when I first move to Austin?
Many transplants rent for six to twelve months to learn the metro's geography, commute patterns, and neighborhoods before committing. Austin's 2026 market favors buyers with more inventory and builder incentives, so there is less pressure to rush. If you already know your commute and neighborhood, buying sooner locks in your homestead exemption. Either way, starting a home search early helps you calibrate what your budget buys.