Cost of living
What would your income cover somewhere else?
Compare the same income in your California city, Boise, Austin and Tampa. Keep the trade-offs visible, not just the rent.
As of November 1, 2026. Housing: September 2026. ACS: 2020–2024 five-year estimates. Income tax: January 1, 2026. Electricity: August 2026. Gasoline: October 31, 2026. Verify current rates; figures change.
Your input multiplied by the AAA state average. No transit, repairs or insurance included.
No Texas average bill was supplied. Enter usage to estimate energy at 15.91 cents/kWh, excluding fixed fees.
Enter your own budget or load the dated references. Groceries default to $600 per household per month as an estimate, not verified. Other essentials default to zero and must be entered. Renters pay no separate property tax here. State brackets are references, not effective rates: enter your actual effective tax estimate for California and Idaho. No individual income tax applies in Texas or Florida.
Reload references after changing fuel or electricity usage. Changing the origin city clears the budget to avoid retaining another city's figures. Electricity is only one part of utilities; add water, heating and internet using your own bills.
| Monthly cost | Los Angeles | Boise | Austin | Tampa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HousingMonthly rent or mortgage principal and interest. Exclude escrow if you enter tax separately. | ||||
| Property taxMonthly share of the actual bill. Renters enter zero; avoid double-counting mortgage escrow. | ||||
| Gas and transportFuel, transit and routine transportation. | ||||
| UtilitiesElectricity, heating, water and internet. | ||||
| GroceriesEstimate, not verified. Replace with your household's food budget. | ||||
| Other essentialsInsurance, healthcare, childcare, debt payments and other recurring bills. | ||||
| Effective state income tax (%)Total annual state tax divided by the income entered here. A statutory rate on taxable income is not this rate. Zero for California/Idaho means not entered, not tax-free. |
City housing references
ZORI typical rent and ZHVI typical home value are city-level September 2026 references. ACS median gross rent includes utilities and older leases, so it is a separate reference, not a replacement for today's asking rent. City effective property tax is ACS median tax divided by median home value, not a quoted rate on your next purchase.
| City | ZORI rent / month | ZHVI home value | ACS gross rent / month | City effective property tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | $2,772 | $927,891 | $1,933 | 0.66% |
| San Francisco, CA | $4,784 | $1,441,021 | $2,476 | 0.71% |
| San Diego, CA | $3,004 | $980,490 | $2,313 | 0.66% |
| Sacramento, CAOwner-supplied; city profile link not independently confirmed | $2,045 | $470,552 | $1,779 | 0.76% |
| Boise, ID | $1,900 | $500,215 | $1,446 | 0.59% |
| Austin, TX | $1,571 | $491,960 | $1,729 | 1.44% |
| Tampa, FL | $1,930 | $375,619 | $1,701 | 0.78% |
State tax and energy references
| State | Individual income tax | State-average property tax | Electricity cents/kWh | Average monthly residential bill | Regular gasoline / gallon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | Graduated 1.00% to 13.30%. The 9.30% bracket begins at $72,724 single / $145,448 joint; 13.30% applies above $1 million. | 0.70% | 29.75 | $234.85 | $5.91 |
| ID | Flat 5.30% of taxable income | 0.50% | 13.37 | $137.11 | $4.56 |
| TX | No individual income tax | 1.40% | 15.91 | Not supplied; use your own bill or kWh | $3.66 |
| FL | No individual income tax | 0.78% | 14.99 | $217.28 | $3.88 |
State-average owner-occupied property tax rates differ from the city ACS ratios above. Neither estimates a new home's assessed value, exemptions or local levies. Published average electricity bills reflect different household consumption, not equal usage across states.
Sources and limitations
Figures supplied as verified on November 1, 2026, with source links below. RentCaliber profiles attribute housing data to Zillow Research. These are not independently reproduced Zillow or ACS calculations. Historical dates are preserved because live source pages change. Groceries are not verified; BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey and C2ER are suggested future sources, not citations for the $600 estimate.
- Zillow Research ZORI and ZHVI data (September 2026)
- Census ACS 2020-2024 five-year data: B25064 rent, B25077 value, B25103 property tax
- Tax Foundation: State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026
- Tax Foundation: effective property tax rates
- California FTB tax calculator
- Idaho individual income tax
- Texas Comptroller taxes
- Florida Department of Revenue
- EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A: August 2026 residential prices
- EIA residential sales, revenue and customer counts (bill methodology)
- AAA regular gasoline state averages (October 31, 2026 snapshot)
- Future grocery source: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey
- Future grocery source: C2ER Cost of Living Index
All budgets stay on this page and are not sent. Dated references are not personalized quotes. General information, not tax or financial advice.