[ericabiz]

I guess it depends on the city. I live in Austin (metro population 2.28M), and most places price sandwiches around $10 or less here.

Here’s Thundercloud, a popular chain (often described as “a step up from Subway”):

https://thundercloud.com/main-menu/

I also checked Jersey Mike’s, another familiar chain, and a regular size “original Italian” is $9.95 here.

I will say that generally Texas tends to have lower prices on food than coastal metros like NYC/SF/LA, but the airport prices mentioned in the article for NYC still seem absurd.

[moomoo11]

Is Austin still worth moving to from CA or has it gotten a lot more expensive? I’ve only spent a couple days in Austin many years ago, so I don’t know much.

[bsder]

Depends from where in CA. Austin cost of living is not very low anymore. It's not San Francisco stupid levels, but I didn't feel a lot of difference between San Diego and Austin in the last couple of years.

Texas makes up for not having income tax by having big property taxes. So, you may make out on that exchange depending upon what your family situation is. If you're earning are closer to median, California is probably better than Texas. If you're a high earner, Texas is probably better because California is biting you via income tax.

However, if you're coming to Texas, make damn sure your healthcare situation is sorted out. California is good about healthcare--the exchanges are decent and you can by healthcare retail for the price advertised on the exchange. This shocked me at one point as it meant that a friend could completely bypass the exchanges for healthcare and just buy it. Yeah, you wouldn't get reimbursement like the exchanges, but you could just whip out a credit card and purchase it retail.

Texas, on the other hand, is terrible at healthcare. The Republicans have sabotaged most things from the Federal government. Most of the hospital chains are mediocre and below, and many publicly available health plans are ferociously bad.

[lowkey]

Housing in Austin metro has gone up in recent years but it is still 1/3 the price of a home in the Bay Area or San Diego.

Property taxes are proportionately higher than in California but lower on an absolute basis for a similar property due to the large difference in purchase prices.

No state income taxes means most people with decent incomes will come out ahead in Texas.

What the sister comment says about healthcare in Texas is true, unfortunately. Most healthcare providers are private equity backed and treat healthcare as an assembly line. It is difficult to find providers who prioritize quality care over checking boxes.

As for publicly available plans I don’t have personal experience, but I don’t doubt the sister comment’s claims. Best have a good job with a quality healthcare plan.

[thefourthchime]

Austinite here too. Articles like this make me thankful for our airport, honestly one of the best in American as far as food and drinks are concerned.

[lowkey]

Notably the price of a similar wrapped sandwich at the ATX airport is $16