Austin vs. Tulsa cost of living comparison: Which city fits your renter budget?

Tulsa is the more affordable city for renters looking for apartments. As of late October 2026, the average rent in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is $1,035 per month, compared with $1,643 in Austin, Texas. Tulsa’s overall cost of living is also 17% below the national average, while Austin’s is 4% below it.

The two cities sit about 450 miles apart by car, and each one offers something different. Austin draws renters with its tech jobs, live music scene and trails around Lady Bird Lake. Tulsa offers a slower pace, the Tulsa Arts District and riverfront spots like Gathering Place, all at a lower price.

Rent drives most of the difference, but it’s not the whole story. This cost of living comparison between Austin and Tulsa breaks down rent, utilities, groceries, transportation, entertainment and health care, category by category, so you can see where your renter budget could go further.

Overall cost of living: Austin vs. Tulsa

Austin’s cost of living is 4% below the national average but 2% above the Texas average. In other words, Austin costs slightly more than the typical Texas city but still comes in under the U.S. benchmark. The cost of living in Tulsa is 17% below the national average and 5% below the Oklahoma average.

Austin vs. Tulsa: Category-by-category cost of living comparison

From rent and utilities to groceries and doctor visits, here’s how Austin and Tulsa compare on everyday living costs:

Average rent and housing

Housing is where Austin and Tulsa split the most. The average rent in Austin is $1,643 per month, compared with $1,035 in Tulsa. That’s $608 more every month, or about $7,300 over a full year. The gap shows up in every apartment size:

• Studio: $1,291 in Austin vs. $779 in Tulsa
• One-bedroom: $1,425 in Austin vs. $920 in Tulsa
• Two-bedroom: $1,818 in Austin vs. $1,168 in Tulsa
• Three-bedroom: $2,423 in Austin vs. $1,483 in Tulsa

Buying a home costs more in Austin, too. The average home price is $486,998 in Austin and $374,425 in Tulsa, a difference of about 30%. Austin home prices run about 30% above Tulsa’s, while Austin rents run about 59% above.

Utilities

Utilities are close to a tie, though each city wins on a different bill. Energy runs slightly higher in Tulsa, at about $218 a month versus $214 in Austin, or roughly $50 more over a year. Phone service goes the other way, at about $200 in Tulsa and $205 in Austin. Add the two together and the monthly totals land less than $1 apart.

Your actual bills will depend on the size of your apartment and how hard your AC works during the summer, which runs long and hot in both cities.

Groceries and food

Grocery prices in Austin and Tulsa are almost identical, with no single item in the list below differing by more than $1.

• Steak (1 lb): $16.05 in Austin vs. $17.00 in Tulsa
• Ground beef (1 lb): $7.23 in Austin vs. $7.59 in Tulsa
• Coffee (13 oz): $6.59 in Austin vs. $6.18 in Tulsa
• Cheese (1 lb): $4.71 in Austin vs. $4.51 in Tulsa
• Bread (loaf): $3.98 in Austin vs. $3.86 in Tulsa

Austin is slightly cheaper on meat, while Tulsa saves you a little on coffee, bread and cheese. Milk, eggs and bananas cost about the same in both cities. Add up all 19 grocery items in our data and the total comes to $83.31 in Austin and $84.63 in Tulsa, a difference of about $1.30 per basket.

Transportation

Gas prices are nearly identical, at $2.61 per gallon in Austin and $2.64 in Tulsa. On a 15-gallon fill-up, that’s less than 50 cents. Car upkeep tells a different story. Getting your tires balanced costs about $76 in Austin versus $58 in Tulsa, a difference of roughly $18. In either city, how far you drive each day affects your budget more than the price per gallon.

Entertainment

Going out costs less in Tulsa. For example, a movie ticket averages $9.85 there, compared with $13.96 in Austin, or about 29% less. For a couple who catches a movie twice a month, that’s roughly $16 saved every month.

Fitness classes follow the same pattern. A yoga class costs about $20 in Tulsa versus $24 in Austin, roughly 17% less. If you go once a week, that’s about $210 saved over a year.

Health care

Tulsa comes out ahead on routine health care visits when compared with Austin:

• Doctor visit: $141.15 in Austin vs. $126.54 in Tulsa
• Dentist visit: $131.95 in Austin vs. $108.91 in Tulsa
• Eye exam: $128.47 in Austin vs. $117.17 in Tulsa

Booking one of each would cost about $402 in Austin and $353 in Tulsa, a difference of roughly $49. Dental care shows the biggest gap, with Tulsa coming in about $23 cheaper. If you see doctors often, those savings can add up over the year.

The verdict: Which city is right for you?

Tulsa is the more affordable city, and rent is the main reason why. A renter moving from Austin to Tulsa could spend about $608 less per month on average rent alone, plus slightly less on health care, movie tickets, yoga classes and tire balancing.

Still, Austin doesn’t cost more across the board. Groceries and gas are slightly cheaper there, and utility bills are about the same. Pay matters, too. Austin’s median household income is $93,658, compared with $59,838 in Tulsa. Measured against local incomes, average rent equals about 21% of the median household income in both cities. That means Tulsa’s savings go furthest if you can bring an Austin-level paycheck with you, such as through a remote job.

Use this comparison as a starting point for your apartment search. Then plug in your own numbers with RentCafe’s Cost of Living Calculator to compare the cost of living by city based on your salary, and try the Rent Affordability Calculator to find a range that fits your budget.

Ready to make your move? Browse thousands of apartment listings on RentCafe to find your next home in Tulsa. Leaning toward the Texas capital instead? Explore the latest apartments for rent in Austin to compare your options.

FAQ

Methodology

This cost of living comparison uses publicly available economic data and proprietary rental market figures. Here’s where the numbers come from and what to keep in mind.

Data sources

Consumer goods, services and home prices come from The Cost of Living Index, published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The data is updated twice a year and was last published in February 2026.

Average rent data comes from Yardi Matrix, our proprietary data source, where available. For locations not covered by Yardi Matrix, C2ER rent data was used. Rents represent average advertised rent per unit, not concessions-adjusted effective rent, unless otherwise noted.

Household income data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau‘s most recent estimates.

How the overall cost of living is calculated

The overall estimate for each city combines six spending categories: housing, utilities, transportation, groceries, healthcare and miscellaneous goods and services. Each category is weighted based on national spending averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey. Housing carries the most weight because it accounts for the largest share of household spending.

Results are expressed as a percentage above or below the national average, making it easy to compare two cities side by side.

Limitations

• All figures are city-level averages and don’t capture neighborhood-by-neighborhood differences.
• Category weights reflect typical U.S. household spending. Your personal budget may skew differently.
• Publication schedules vary slightly across data sources, so not all figures reflect the exact same time period.
• The analysis assumes a standard household composition. Individual experiences may vary.

For the most current rent figures in either market, visit RentCafe’s Cost of living calculator.