Texas is a fast-growing state with many big cities. Whether you are moving to Texas for work or another reason, you might be wondering what your salary needs to be to live comfortably. 

As a single person, you need a salary of at least $30,000 to cover all your bills in Texas. If you’re married and both earning incomes, you should be able to get by on $23,000 each annually. If you have a kid or live in a large city in Texas, you will need more.

You might be wondering what housing costs are in Texas or how much you need for gas and food. This article will go over a breakdown of all the money you will spend per month in Texas.

What Salary Do You Need for Texas?

The exact salary you need to make depends on where you live. 

You will need more money to live in Austin than in a rural area. In general, though, you should aim to make:

  • Single person: $30,000
  • Married and both working: $23,000 each
  • Married and have kids: $59,000-$63,000 per year

If you have more than one child, the costs will increase as you’ll spend more money on food and items for school. You might also need a bigger home. 

For more information about the salaries in Texas, you can check this calculator from MIT. 

How Much Is Housing In Texas? 

Larger cities are more expensive than smaller places. Housing prices are below the national average for most parts of Texas. 

Here’s what you can expect for pricing:

  • Houses can cost between $240,000 to $500,000 depending on the size and location. Bigger cities like Austin will have even more expensive houses. 
  • You will be able to find an apartment in a desirable location for about $1,000 a month in large cities. It will be more if you have a two or three-bedroom apartment. 
  • Smaller cities even have apartments for rent that are $800 or less. 

Now, let’s take a look at how much you can expect to spend on food in Texas.

How Much Is Food In Texas?

Dining out in larger cities like Houston and Dallas is expensive. 

Here’s what you can expect:

  • If you choose to dine out regularly, you can easily spend hundreds of dollars on food every month. 
  • If you choose to grocery shop most of the time and dine out less, you will probably spend about $300 a month on food.
  • If you have many kids, you can spend as much as $600 or more on food every month. 

Now, let’s go over the transportation costs in Texas in the next section.

How Much Is Transportation In Texas?

Most parts of Texas do not have reliable public transportation so you will need to own a car.

Texas is less expensive in fuel prices than some places but is still on the pricier side when it comes to gas and maintenance work for your car.

Insurance is also more than the national average as most Texans pay $150 in insurance or more. If you are getting regular maintenance and paying for insurance, you will need to budget for about $3,000 a year for your car.

Now that you know about insurance, let’s move on to taxes for Texas.

What About Taxes In Texas? 

Texas does not have an income tax or estate tax. Many people choose to retire here since there is no tax on your estate unless it costs more than $11.7 million.

Texas also does not have a state-level property tax but they do make you pay property taxes to the local government which is pricey. 

The property taxes you pay to the local government depend on how much your house is worth. So, the more expensive your home, the more you will pay every year in taxes. 

Texas also has a state sales tax of 6.25%. Localities can also add their own taxes onto this so it might even be 8.25% depending on where you live in the state. 

For more information about taxes, you can check this website. 

Is Texas Expensive? 

Texas is one of the most affordable places in Texas to settle down. 

Even in larger cities like Dallas and Austin, the overall cost of living is low compared to other places like:

  • New York
  • Florida
  • California

If you are living in rural Texas, you will find the cost of living very affordable. Keep in mind though that the salaries in rural Texas are also lower. So, you will be able to live comfortably but might not necessarily save money. 

Since you only need a salary of about $30,000 to live in Texas if you’re single, you can see that Texas is much less expensive than other states. 

Final Thoughts 

You will need at least $30,000 a year to live comfortably in Texas if you’re single and at least $59,000 a year if you’re married with one child. 

The city you live in can make this cost more or less as larger cities always cost more.