f you’re choosing between Calgary vs Austin, you’re basically comparing two “big-city energy” hubs with very different tradeoffs: Calgary is a high-income prairie city with mountain access and real winters; Austin is a fast-growing Texas capital with tech gravity, heat, and a very different tax setup.
This comparison uses the most recent official/standard datasets available for each side (Calgary: Oct–Nov 2025 housing stats; Austin: U.S. Census/NOAA climate normals and multi-year Census estimates). Keep in mind: some metrics are city vs metro, and median vs average, so treat the numbers as a reliable directional guide, not a perfect apples-to-apples.
Calgary vs Austin: the quick “who wins what” guide
Choose Calgary if you care most about:
- Real winter + sunshine + chinooks and four true seasons
- Mountain proximity (Banff/Canmore as a real “day-trip lifestyle”)
- Potentially easier entry into homeownership vs high-priced U.S. boomtown markets (depends on neighborhood and timing)
- A calmer “big city” feel with solid transit spine (CTrain)
Choose Austin if you care most about:
- Warm weather most of the year (but very hot summers)
- Big U.S. tech/startup ecosystem + state government jobs
- No Texas state income tax (but don’t ignore sales/property taxes)
- Live music culture that’s globally famous
Housing reality: renting and buying (the numbers that actually matter)
Housing is where the Calgary vs Austin conversation usually gets real fast—because the “vibe” is nice, but your monthly housing cost decides your day-to-day quality of life.
Renting: “average rent” vs “median rent”
- Calgary (purpose-built rental apartments, Oct 2025): average rent $1,775 CAD, vacancy rate 4.9%.
- Austin (city, 2019–2023 Census estimate): median gross rent $1,655 USD.
These aren’t perfectly identical measures (Calgary’s is purpose-built apartment survey; Austin’s is “median gross rent” from Census estimates), but they’re still very useful as a grounded snapshot.
Buying: “benchmark” vs “median value”
- Calgary (Nov 2025 benchmark): $559,000 CAD benchmark price.
- Austin (city, 2019–2023 Census estimate): median value of owner-occupied housing $512,700 USD.
Again: different measurement systems, but both are credible and widely used in their countries.
Table: Calgary vs Austin — housing snapshot
| Metric | Calgary | Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment vacancy rate | 4.9% (Oct 2025) | (not in same dataset here) |
| Apartment average rent | $1,775 CAD (Oct 2025) | — |
| Apartment median rent / median gross rent | $1,725 CAD (Oct 2025) | $1,655 USD (2019–2023) |
| Home price benchmark / median value | $559,000 CAD (Nov 2025) | $512,700 USD (2019–2023) |
What it means in real life:
- Austin can feel “doable” if you land a strong salary, but high home values + U.S. healthcare + car costs can stack up quickly.
- Calgary often feels more stable for budgeting (especially if you’re coming from expensive coastal markets), but winters + heating + winter driving are real lifestyle costs.
Taxes and day-to-day prices: the “checkout shock” factor
Sales tax (what you feel every day)
Austin’s sales tax can hit hard at the register:
- Austin total sales tax rate is 8.25% (Texas state + local), which is the common maximum combined rate for Texas jurisdictions.
Calgary’s sales tax experience is usually simpler (Alberta is known for having no provincial sales tax; Canadians still pay GST).
Income tax (what you feel on payday)
- Texas: no state income tax (but property taxes can be significant, and sales tax is higher than many places).
- Alberta/Canada: income taxes apply (federal + provincial), but then other parts of the system differ (healthcare, benefits, etc.).
Practical takeaway:
- If you spend a lot on taxable purchases and you’re not a high earner, Austin’s sales tax can feel heavy.
- If you’re a high earner, the no-state-income-tax part of Texas can look attractive—but only after you price in housing, property tax, healthcare, and transportation.
Weather: Calgary vs Austin is basically “winter city vs heat city”
Here the data is crystal clear.
Austin (NOAA/NWS climate normals)
- Annual average temperature: 70°F (~21.1°C)
- Annual precipitation: 36.25 inches (~921 mm)
- Annual snow: 0.5 inches (~1.3 cm) — basically “it almost never snows.”
Translation: Austin is warm and can be humid. Summer heat is the defining feature. Winters are mild.
Calgary (City of Calgary climate report baseline)
- Annual average daily air temperature (historical adjusted, median): ~6.0°C (~42.8°F)
- Annual precipitation (historical average): 416.4 mm (~16.4 inches)
- Annual snowfall (historical adjusted): 93.6 cm (~36.9 inches)
Translation: Calgary is drier, colder, and snowier—with quick warm-ups (chinooks) that can swing winter temperatures fast.
Lifestyle truth:
- Austin = you manage heat (AC bills, summer outdoor timing).
- Calgary = you manage cold (winter gear, snow tires, and knowing how to drive in it).
Jobs and “career gravity”: what each city is built around
Austin’s core engines
- State capital: government and public sector stability
- Massive tech/startup orbit (plus big corporate relocations over the last decade)
- University ecosystem (UT) feeding talent, research, and culture
Calgary’s core engines
- Energy and energy services (still a major pillar)
- Finance, logistics, professional services
- Growing tech scene (but different scale and structure vs Austin)
Simple way to decide:
- If your career is tied to U.S. tech networks, venture/startups, or state-capital ecosystems → Austin has momentum.
- If you want Canadian stability, prairie affordability logic, and mountain lifestyle → Calgary is hard to beat.
Getting around: car culture vs transit spine
- Austin is largely car-first. You can live without a car in specific central areas, but most people don’t.
- Calgary is also car-friendly, but it has a more visible rail transit backbone (CTrain) that shapes commuting choices—especially if you pick housing near stations.
Decision tip: If you want a truly car-light life, Calgary can be easier if you build your housing choice around the CTrain network.
Is there a “happiness index” for cities?
There isn’t one single official and directly comparable “city happiness index” that covers both Canadian and U.S. cities the same way.
What you can use (more honestly) are proxies that reflect happiness indirectly:
- Self-reported life satisfaction surveys (often national/provincial/state level)
- Health outcomes and mental health indicators
- Affordability + commute time + safety + access to nature (the “daily stress” stack)
For Calgary.Red readers, the most useful approach is: build a “Happiness Scorecard” that is transparent about what it measures (housing stress, weather comfort, commute burden, recreation access, safety, healthcare access) rather than claiming a single magic “happiness number.”
Who should choose Calgary vs Austin?
Calgary is a better fit if you are:
- Prioritizing mountains, hiking/skiing, and seasonal lifestyle
- Looking for a city that feels big but not chaotic
- Wanting a more predictable “Canadian system” life experience
Austin is a better fit if you are:
- Chasing U.S. career acceleration in tech/startups/government orbit
- A warm-weather person who hates winter
- Optimizing for cultural energy (live music, festivals, nightlife)
FAQ: Calgary vs Austin
Is Austin more expensive than Calgary?
Austin can feel more expensive when you combine housing, car dependence, and U.S. healthcare costs. Calgary can be cheaper day-to-day depending on your housing choice and lifestyle.
Does Austin really never get snow?
Official normals show about 0.5 inches of snow per year—so “almost never.”
Is Calgary “too cold” to enjoy?
If you prepare properly (layers, winter tires, routine), winter is very livable—and chinooks can make it surprisingly comfortable at times.
Which city is better for careers?
Austin pulls harder for U.S. tech ecosystems. Calgary is strong for energy/pro services and offers a different “income vs lifestyle” balance.
Do you have a true happiness index for both?
Not one official, cross-country comparable number. A transparent scorecard is more honest and more useful.
Conclusion: the real decision lens
If your dream life is warm evenings, live music, tech networking, and U.S. scale, Austin wins—just price it honestly.
If your dream life is mountain weekends, a cleaner/colder climate, and a Canadian big-city lifestyle that can be calmer, Calgary wins.
In the end, Calgary vs Austin isn’t about which city is “better.” It’s about which city makes your weekly routine easier: housing + commute + weather comfort + career ecosystem.
