Moving from Sacramento to Austin

The Story

Sacramento-to-Austin is tax+tech career move with similar housing. CA 9.3% → TX 0% saves $9,300/yr on $100K. Housing essentially equal ($475K vs $475K), COL 8% lower. Pull: Tesla Gigafactory, Apple, Oracle, Dell tech ecosystem; live music capital; year-round warm; UT Austin research; no CA fires/drought. Many state workers retire here keeping CalPERS portability.

Why This Move

Why people move from Sacramento to Austin.

CA 9.3% drops to TX 0% — saves $9,300/year on $100K
Tech career advancement — Tesla, Apple, Oracle, Dell, Indeed
Live music capital — SXSW, ACL, year-round venues
No CA wildfire/smoke season (Sacramento heavily impacted Sep-Nov)
UT Austin + tech research ecosystem
Outdoor culture (Hill Country, Lake Travis)
Housing equal — pure tax/lifestyle arbitrage
CalPERS pension portability (state workers)

Cost Comparison

The money side of CA → TX.

Sacramento

Median home$475,000
Income tax9.3% (CA bracket)
Cost index130

Austin

Median home$475,000
Income tax0% (TX)
Cost index119

What to Do in Austin

Things you'll want to know about your new city.

Bookmark this page — these are the icons of Austin, organized by what kind of day you're planning.

Outdoors & Recreation

Zilker Park & Barton Springs — 350-acre urban park, 68°F natural spring pool year-round
Lady Bird Lake — Hike-and-bike trail, kayaking, paddleboarding
Mount Bonnell — 775-ft hill with city and Lake Austin views
McKinney Falls State Park — Waterfalls and limestone bluffs in the city

Culture & Arts

Texas State Capitol — Tallest state capitol building, free tours
South by Southwest (SXSW) — Annual music/film/tech festival in March
Austin City Limits Festival — October two-weekend music festival in Zilker Park

Family-Friendly

Congress Avenue Bridge Bats — 1.5M Mexican free-tailed bats emerge nightly Mar-Nov
Texas Memorial Museum — UT campus natural history museum

Nightlife & Entertainment

6th Street — Historic entertainment district

Where to Eat

Austin's essential restaurants.

The dining list every Austin resident knows by heart. Save the spots, work through them.

Franklin Barbecue BBQ East Austin

Brisket worth the 2-hour line
Uchi Japanese South Lamar

Tyson Cole's flagship sushi
Suerte Mexican East Austin

Heirloom corn masa, James Beard nominee
Odd Duck New American South Lamar

Farm-to-table sharing plates
Veracruz All Natural Tacos Multiple

Best migas tacos in town
Uchiko Japanese Rosedale

Uchi's farmhouse sister restaurant
Olamaie Southern Downtown

Modern interpretation of Southern classics
Loro Asian smokehouse South Lamar

Aaron Franklin's Asian-BBQ collab

Where to Live

Best Austin neighborhoods for Sacramento transplants.

Mapped to the Sacramento neighborhoods that probably feel like home to you.

Mueller

If East Sacramento was your speed — walkable, master-planned, family
South Congress / Bouldin

If Midtown was your vibe — walkable, music, restaurants, hip
East Austin

If R Street Corridor was your scene — converted industrial, art, breweries
Westlake (suburb)

If El Dorado Hills was your model — affluent, top schools, $1M+
Cedar Park (suburb)

If Folsom was your model — master-planned, top schools, family
The Domain

If you wanted urban high-rise — walkable, shopping, tech

Climate & Walkability

What daily life feels like in Austin.

Climate

Humid subtropical. Hot summers (95-105°F, peaks over 110°F). Mild winters (40-65°F, occasional freezes). Spring is glorious; fall arrives late. Sun 230+ days/year. Annual rainfall 35 inches with occasional flash floods.

Summer90-105°F
Winter45-65°F
Sun days/yr228
Rainfall34 inches

Walkability

Walk Score42/100
Transit Score33/100
Bike Score56/100

Austin is car-dependent — most errands require driving.

Outdoors & Recreation

Lady Bird Lake — kayak, paddleboard, hike-and-bike trail
Greenbelt (Barton Creek) — 7-mile urban hiking corridor
Hill Country day trips — wine country, Hamilton Pool, Krause Springs
Lake Travis — boating and lakeside dining
Austin's 250+ parks system; Zilker is the crown jewel
Cycling — over 100 miles of urban bike lanes

Reality Check

What changes about your daily life.

CA 9.3% becomes TX 0% — $9,300/year saved on $100K
Housing equal, COL 8% lower
Climate flips Mediterranean to humid subtropical — gain humidity, real summer heat
Property taxes higher (TX 1.6-2.3% vs CA 0.7%)
RT light rail → CapMetro (similar)
Wine country (Napa) further (1.5 hrs from Sac, 1500+ from Austin)
Sports — gain Longhorns + Austin FC, lose Kings

Driving Routes

How to drive there.

I-80 E to I-15 S to I-10 E to I-35 S

1,830 miles via Reno, SLC, Albuquerque, Dallas. 27 hours / 3 days.

Move Logistics

What it takes to move 1,830 miles.

Full-service (3BR)$7,000-$12,500
Container/PODS$5,000-$8,000
DIY (26-ft truck)$3,800-$6,500
Best monthsOct-Apr (avoid TX summer + CA fire season)
Lead time8-10 weeks ahead

USDOT-registered.

Common Questions