San Antonio’s overall price level runs 5.3% below the national average, per the Bureau of Economic Analysis. It has the lowest BEA index of Texas’s four largest metros, the lowest median home sale price among the three whose board data is verified here, and a municipal electric rate roughly 18% below the statewide average.
BEA Price Level by Metro, 2024
- San Antonio-New Braunfels: 94.7 on the BEA Regional Price Parity index, meaning overall prices run 5.3% below the U.S. average.
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land: 98.6, or 1.4% below the national average.
- Austin-Round Rock: 98.1, or 1.9% below the national average.
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: 103.1, or 3.1% above the national average and the only Texas metro above 100.
Median Home Price, August 2026
- San Antonio: $299,275 median sale price, unchanged year over year, per SABOR.
- Austin MSA: $412,000 median sale price, down 6.4% year over year, per Unlock MLS.
- Dallas-Fort Worth: $390,000 median sale price, essentially unchanged year over year, per MetroTex NTREIS.
- Note: Houston data is available from HAR at har.com. This page does not carry Houston housing figures because the HAR report could not be fetched from the primary source for verification.
Utilities
- SA electric rate: CPS Energy averages 13.0 cents per kilowatt-hour, per its published 12-month average from November 2025 through October 2026.
- Texas statewide residential average: 15.88 cents per kWh as of July 2026, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The national residential average was 18.31 cents per kWh for the same period.
- No state income tax in Texas. Property taxes vary by county and taxing district, making housing location the biggest variable in your total cost.
- Rent benchmarks: HUD publishes Fair Market Rents by metro at huduser.gov. This page does not carry specific rent figures because the HUD data could not be fetched from the primary source for verification.
What the Numbers Mean
- Housing drives the gap: The $113,000 difference between the San Antonio and Austin medians translates to roughly $700 per month in mortgage payment at current rates, before taxes and insurance.
- Electricity adds up: At 13.0 cents per kWh versus the statewide average of 15.88 cents, a household using 1,200 kWh per month saves roughly $35 per month, or $415 per year, on electric bills alone.
- Groceries and healthcare vary by source: Commercial cost-of-living calculators show conflicting results for these categories. This page uses federal data wherever possible.
- Every figure on this page carries its source and reporting period. Check the Data and Methodology section at the bottom for definitions.
Is San Antonio the cheapest big city in Texas?
By the BEA Regional Price Parity index, San Antonio-New Braunfels has the lowest overall price level of the four largest Texas metros at 94.7, where the U.S. average equals 100. Houston is next at 98.6, followed by Austin at 98.1, and Dallas-Fort Worth at 103.1. San Antonio also has the lowest median home sale price at $299,275 as of August 2026, based on the three metros whose board reports were verified for this page.
How much cheaper is San Antonio than Austin?
The BEA price parity gap is 3.4 points: San Antonio at 94.7 versus Austin at 98.1. In housing, the August 2026 median sale price gap is $112,725: $299,275 in San Antonio versus $412,000 across the Austin MSA. CPS Energy’s residential electric rate of 13.0 cents per kWh runs well below the Texas statewide average of 15.88 cents that applies to the deregulated markets serving Austin. Those benchmarks use different methodologies, so the percentage gap depends on which measure you use.
What salary do you need to live in San Antonio?
That depends on household size, whether you rent or own, and your neighborhood. A commonly used guideline is keeping housing costs at or below 30% of gross income. Look up current rents at HUD Fair Market Rents for the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro and work backward from the unit size you need. Homeowners face additional property tax and insurance costs that vary by address and exemptions.
The Bottom Line Up Front
San Antonio’s price level runs 5.3% below the national average by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity, the lowest among Texas’s four largest metros. The gap is widest in housing: San Antonio’s August 2026 median sale price of $299,275 sits $113,000 below Austin’s and $91,000 below Dallas-Fort Worth’s. San Antonio’s municipal utility, CPS Energy, charges 13.0 cents per kilowatt-hour, below the Texas statewide residential average of 15.88 cents. Groceries, healthcare, and transportation show narrower differences across metros, and some sources conflict on which direction those gaps go. This page compares the metros using BEA price data, local board housing reports, and EIA utility rates so you can see where the savings are real and where they are not. For rent comparisons, see HUD Fair Market Rents.
How Federal Price Data Ranks San Antonio
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes Regional Price Parities for every U.S. metro area. The RPP measures the overall price level of goods, services, and rents relative to the national average, which equals 100. A metro with an RPP below 100 has prices below the national average. The most recent release covers 2024 data and was published February 20, 2026.
| Metro Area | RPP All Items | Difference from U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | 94.7 | 5.3% below |
| Austin-Round Rock | 98.1 | 1.9% below |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 98.6 | 1.4% below |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 103.1 | 3.1% above |
San Antonio’s 94.7 means that a basket of goods, services, and rents costs about 5.3% less in the San Antonio metro than across the country as a whole. Dallas-Fort Worth is the only one of the four above the national average. Austin and Houston both land below 100 but closer to the national line than San Antonio.
- The RPP is a single index covering all categories. It does not tell you which specific items are cheaper or more expensive, only the weighted average.
- San Antonio’s gap from the national average is roughly three times the Austin gap and four times the Houston gap. Dallas-Fort Worth sits on the opposite side of 100.
- The RPP uses the same methodology across all metros, which makes it the cleanest federal apples-to-apples comparison available.
- Commercial cost-of-living indexes from C2ER, PayScale, and RentCafe use different baskets and weighting. Their results may differ from BEA’s. This page uses BEA as the primary index and notes where commercial sources diverge.
What Housing Costs in Each Metro
Housing is the largest spending category for most households and the category with the widest dollar gap between San Antonio and the other metros. Each figure below comes from that metro’s local board of realtors monthly report for August 2026.
| Metric | San Antonio | Austin MSA | Dallas-Fort Worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $299,275 | $412,000 | $390,000 |
| YoY price change | 0% | -6.4% | ~0% |
| Months of supply | 5.87 | 5.1 | 4.3 |
| Average DOM | 82 days | — | 58 days |
| Active listings | 16,940 | 13,676 | 31,072 |
| Close-to-list ratio | 92.8% | 93.2% | 94.8% |
San Antonio’s median sits $113,000 below the Austin MSA and $91,000 below Dallas-Fort Worth. At current mortgage rates, that price difference translates to hundreds of dollars per month in principal and interest alone. Property taxes and insurance add further separation because they scale with home value.
- San Antonio: SABOR reports a median of $299,275 for August 2026, unchanged from a year earlier. Active listings held at 16,940, and 66.73% of sales fell between $200,000 and $499,999.
- Austin: The Unlock MLS August 2026 report shows the MSA median at $412,000, down 6.4% year over year. The City of Austin median was $560,000. Active listings across the MSA totaled 13,676, down 6.5% from a year ago.
- Dallas-Fort Worth: MetroTex’s NTREIS report puts the August 2026 median at $390,000, essentially flat year over year. Single-family supply measured 4.3 months, with 31,072 active listings.
For a buyer comparing these metros, San Antonio’s median is the only one below $300,000. An LRG analysis of the San Antonio housing market shows conditions where the majority of sales fall in the $200,000 to $499,999 range. Houston’s board report is available at har.com for readers who want to add that metro to the comparison.
Rent Across the Four Metros
HUD publishes Fair Market Rents each fiscal year as the benchmark for housing assistance programs. The FMR represents the 50th percentile of gross rents for standard-quality units. The FY2026 FMRs are published at huduser.gov and cover every county in the United States.
This page does not carry specific FMR dollar figures because the HUD data files could not be fetched from the primary source for independent verification during this update. For current rent benchmarks by metro and bedroom count, use the HUD lookup tool linked above. SABOR reports an average monthly rent of $1,832 across all rental listings in the San Antonio MLS for August 2026, and Unlock MLS reports a median rent of $2,150 across the Austin MSA for the same month. These board figures cover a different unit mix than HUD’s methodology.
What Utilities Cost in San Antonio
San Antonio is one of the few large Texas cities with a municipal utility. CPS Energy serves all electric and gas customers in the city, and its rates are set by the City Council rather than the deregulated market that covers most of the state.
- CPS Energy residential rate: 13.0 cents per kilowatt-hour, measured as the 12-month average from November 2025 through October 2026. Source: CPS Energy fuel charges page, fetched October 1, 2026.
- Texas statewide residential average: 15.88 cents per kilowatt-hour as of July 2026, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The national residential average was 18.31 cents per kWh for the same period.
- What that gap means: CPS Energy’s rate is roughly 18% below the Texas statewide average. Computation: 15.88 minus 13.0 equals 2.88, divided by 15.88, equals 18.1%. A household using 1,200 kWh per month pays roughly $156 at CPS Energy’s rate versus $191 at the statewide average, a difference of about $35 per month or $415 per year.
- Austin, Dallas, and Houston participate in the deregulated Texas electricity market. Rates vary by provider, plan type, and contract length. The statewide average of 15.88 cents per kWh is a blended figure across all plans and providers.
- CPS Energy bills include a service availability charge, an energy charge, a fuel adjustment, regulatory fees, and city services fees. The 13.0 cents per kWh figure is the all-in average cost.
Water and sewer rates in San Antonio are set by San Antonio Water System. Natural gas is also provided by CPS Energy. Internet service is available from multiple providers across all four metros. This page does not compare water, gas, or internet costs because comparable metro-level federal data does not exist for those categories.
Property Taxes Across the Four Metros
Texas has no state income tax, which means property taxes carry a larger share of local government funding than in most states. Property tax rates vary by county, city, school district, and special districts. The same home value can produce very different annual tax bills depending on the address.
| Factor | San Antonio | Austin | Dallas-Fort Worth | Houston |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary county | Bexar | Travis | Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton | Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery |
| School homestead exemption | $140,000 | $140,000 | $140,000 | $140,000 |
| Appraisal cap for homestead | 10% per year | 10% per year | 10% per year | 10% per year |
The $140,000 school district homestead exemption applies statewide under Texas Tax Code 11.13. It reduces the taxable value for school district taxes only, not for county, city, or special district levies. The 10% annual appraisal cap under Tax Code 23.23 limits how fast the appraised value can rise on a homesteaded property.
- Effective tax rates depend on all overlapping taxing jurisdictions at a specific address. A home inside San Antonio city limits, in Bexar County, within NEISD, and in no special district faces a different total rate than a home in an unincorporated area within SAISD.
- A full breakdown of San Antonio property tax rates by taxing unit is available on LRG’s dedicated property tax page.
- Veterans rated 100% disabled by the VA are exempt from all property taxes on their homestead under Tax Code 11.131. Surviving spouses may retain the exemption under certain conditions.
- MUD and PID assessments in newer subdivisions add to the property tax bill. These are common in the suburbs of Austin, Dallas, and Houston. San Antonio has fewer MUD districts, especially inside Loop 1604.
Where the Savings Are and Where They Are Not
The data above supports a clear picture of which categories drive the cost-of-living gap and which do not.
- Housing: San Antonio’s median sale price is the lowest of the three metros compared on this page. The $113,000 gap to Austin and $91,000 gap to Dallas-Fort Worth represent real monthly payment differences in the hundreds of dollars.
- Electricity: CPS Energy’s 13.0 cents per kWh versus the Texas statewide average of 15.88 cents gives San Antonio households a measurable monthly advantage on electric bills.
- Groceries: Federal data does not publish metro-level grocery baskets for San Antonio or Austin. The BLS compiles local CPI data for Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston but not for San Antonio or Austin. Grocery comparisons using commercial calculators are not reliable enough to state a specific dollar gap.
- Healthcare: Sources conflict. Some commercial indexes show San Antonio healthcare below average, while others show it above. This page does not make a healthcare cost comparison because no federal dataset supports a metro-level claim for these four cities.
- Transportation: All four metros are car-dependent. Gas prices and insurance rates vary, but federal data does not provide a clean metro-level transportation cost for San Antonio. This page does not claim a transportation advantage or disadvantage.
The honest summary: San Antonio is measurably cheaper on housing and electricity. On groceries, healthcare, and transportation, the data either does not exist at the metro level or sources conflict. Anyone telling you San Antonio is cheaper on every single category is using commercial calculator estimates, not verified federal data.
How to Think About the Tradeoffs
A cost-of-living comparison gives you a price difference, not a complete picture. Income, job availability, commute patterns, and family needs all factor into whether a move to San Antonio saves money in practice.
- Salary differences: Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin tend to offer higher salaries in tech, finance, and corporate roles. A higher salary in Austin offset by a higher mortgage may or may not leave you ahead. Run the math with your actual offer before assuming San Antonio saves money.
- Commute: All four metros are car-dependent, and commute times vary by neighborhood, not just by metro. Living on the far northwest side of San Antonio and working downtown may produce a longer commute than living in a central Austin neighborhood and working nearby.
- Schools: School district quality and programming vary within every metro. Comparing districts by name is beyond the scope of this page, but district-level data is publicly available from TEA.
- For a broader look at whether San Antonio fits your lifestyle, LRG’s livability guide covers jobs, weather, commute, and who the city works best for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How has San Antonio’s cost of living changed recently?
San Antonio’s median home sale price was just above $299,000 in August 2026, unchanged from a year earlier, per SABOR. Over the past several years, prices rose alongside broader national and Texas trends driven by low inventory and rate-driven affordability shifts, though the pace has leveled off. CPS Energy’s 12-month average residential rate is 13.0 cents per kWh as of the November 2025 through October 2026 period. The BEA RPP for San Antonio was 94.7 in 2024, meaning it remained below the national average, though the specific year-by-year RPP trend is available on FRED.
How does San Antonio’s cost of living compare to Dallas?
The BEA RPP gap is 8.4 points: San Antonio at 94.7 versus Dallas-Fort Worth at 103.1. Dallas-Fort Worth is the only one of the four major Texas metros with a price level above the national average. In housing, the August 2026 median gap is about $91,000: San Antonio at $299,275 versus Dallas-Fort Worth at $390,000. Dallas tends to offer higher salaries in corporate and financial sectors, which can offset part of the cost gap depending on your field.
How does San Antonio’s cost of living compare to Houston?
Houston is the closest of the three comparison metros to San Antonio in overall price level. The BEA RPP gap is 3.9 points: San Antonio at 94.7 versus Houston at 98.6. Houston’s housing board report is available at har.com for a direct median-price comparison. CPS Energy’s 13.0 cents per kWh is below the Texas statewide average of 15.88 cents that applies to Houston’s deregulated electricity market. Houston’s insurance costs tend to run above San Antonio’s due to flood zone and hail exposure, though this page does not carry a verified metro-level insurance comparison.
What does it cost a single person to live in San Antonio?
The total depends heavily on whether you rent or own, your commute distance, and your health coverage. CPS Energy electricity runs roughly $100 to $130 per month for a small unit at 13.0 cents per kWh, depending on usage. Rent is the largest fixed cost for most single adults. Look up current rents at HUD Fair Market Rents for the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro. Neighborhoods on the far west side and the Converse corridor tend to have the lowest rental rates within the metro.
What do apartments cost in San Antonio in 2026?
SABOR’s August 2026 MLS rental data shows an average monthly rent of $1,832 across all rental listings in the San Antonio area. Actual rents vary by neighborhood, unit size, condition, and amenities. For the HUD benchmark rent by bedroom count, see HUD Fair Market Rents. HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs that show variation by ZIP code within the metro.
Why is San Antonio’s cost of living below Austin’s?
The gap is driven by housing. San Antonio’s median sale price of $299,275 is $113,000 below Austin’s $412,000 MSA median. Austin’s tech-sector growth over the past decade increased demand for housing and pushed prices above the levels in other Texas metros. The BEA RPP gap of 3.4 points reflects price differences across all categories, not just housing, but housing carries the heaviest weight in most household budgets.
Are San Antonio property taxes higher than in other metros?
Property tax rates vary by specific address, not by metro. All Texas homeowners qualify for a $140,000 school district homestead exemption. Effective tax rates depend on the combined levies of every taxing jurisdiction that overlaps a property: county, city, school district, community college, hospital district, and any special districts. Bexar County, Travis County, Dallas County, and Harris County all have different combinations of taxing entities. The only accurate comparison is between two specific addresses, not two metros. Use county appraisal district websites to look up rates for the neighborhoods you are considering.
What costs are not cheaper in San Antonio?
Federal data does not support a metro-level claim that San Antonio is cheaper on groceries, healthcare, or transportation. The BLS publishes local CPI data for Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston but not for San Antonio or Austin, which means there is no direct grocery or healthcare price comparison from a federal source. Commercial cost-of-living calculators fill this gap with their own methodologies, and their results sometimes conflict. Healthcare costs in particular show wide variation depending on the source used. This page avoids claiming a gap where the underlying data does not support one.
What hidden costs should relocators expect?
Vehicle registration is due within 30 days of establishing residency in a new county. Texas eliminated most non-commercial vehicle safety inspections as of January 2025, but a replacement inspection fee still applies at registration. Bexar County begins emissions testing on November 1, 2026, for affected gasoline-powered vehicles. Utility deposits vary by provider and credit history: CPS Energy charges $50 to $200. MUD and PID assessments in newer subdivisions add to the property tax bill. Homeowners insurance premiums vary by county based on hail, wind, and flood risk.
How is cost of living measured?
The BEA Regional Price Parity is an index where the U.S. average equals 100, measuring the overall price level of goods, services, and rents in each metro. HUD Fair Market Rents measure the 50th percentile of gross rents for standard-quality units by county. EIA publishes statewide average residential electricity rates. Local boards of realtors publish median sale prices from MLS data. Each source uses a different methodology and covers a different unit of geography. Commercial indexes from C2ER, PayScale, and RentCafe use proprietary baskets that may differ from these federal measures.
Data and Methodology
This page compares San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston using federal data sources supplemented by local board of realtors reports. The price-level comparison uses BEA Regional Price Parities for 2024, released February 20, 2026, accessed via FRED. Housing data comes from each metro’s board: SABOR for San Antonio, Unlock MLS for the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA, and MetroTex NTREIS for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, all for August 2026. Houston housing data from HAR and rent data from HUD Fair Market Rents could not be fetched from their primary sources for verification during this update and are not included as specific figures. Electricity rates are the EIA statewide residential average through July 2026 and CPS Energy’s published 12-month average. No figures from commercial real estate portals, AI-generated reviews, or unsourced industry estimates are used. Categories where federal metro-level data does not exist for all four metros are identified and left without a specific comparison.
