At a glance
The nominal median for Physician Assistants is $140,160 in San Antonio versus $134,550 in Austin, a gap of $5,610 a year.
After the BEA 2024 price adjustment San Antonio still leads: $147,979 versus $137,204, a gap of $10,775.
Published medians for the occupation, not an offer, take-home pay or a relocation recommendation.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
Austin vs. San Antonio: key measures
For the BLS Physician Assistants classification, this comparison holds the occupation code constant between Austin and San Antonio. It pairs reported wage percentiles with regional prices, metro rents and commuting context. The metrics are not job offers, apartment quotes or a complete household budget. The figures describe metropolitan statistical areas, not city limits.
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| Measure | Austin | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $111,830 | $113,840 |
| 25th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $130,130 | $128,070 |
| Annual occupational median (BLS) | $134,550 | $140,160 |
| 75th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $157,840 | $154,110 |
| 90th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $170,450 | $201,640 |
| Price-adjusted median (site calculation) | $137,204 | $147,979 |
| All-items RPP (BEA) | 98.066 | 94.716 |
| Median gross rent / month (ACS) | $1,726 | $1,363 |
| 45+ minute commute share (ACS) | 17.4% | 15.4% |
The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.
What changes when location is considered?
San Antonio leads on published nominal annual median pay by $5,610. San Antonio leads on the national-price-equivalent median by $10,775. Both measures point to the same higher-paying metro, but the advantage changes in size after adjustment.
These are different lenses: the nominal figures come from BLS, while the adjusted metric uses the 2024 BEA all-items regional price parity (98.1 for Austin versus 94.7 for San Antonio). Neither is a prediction of an actual offer.
Austin has a higher metro-wide ACS monthly median gross rent by $363. The share of workers with one-way trips of at least 45 minutes is 2.0 percentage points higher in Austin.
How Austin and San Antonio rank for this occupation
Out of the 75 curated metros with a reported physician assistants median, Austin ranks 36th on nominal median pay and 35th on price-adjusted pay. San Antonio ranks 18th nominal and 14th adjusted. The middle adjusted median across all 75 metros is $136,108: Austin’s ($137,204) is 0.8% above that middle value and San Antonio’s ($147,979) is 8.7% above it.
Ranks compare published medians for this one occupation. See all 75 metros for physician assistants for the full list.
Pay at each percentile and how common the job is
After the BEA price adjustment, Austin is higher at 0 of the 5 published percentile levels and San Antonio at 5. The 90th percentile is 1.5× the 10th in Austin and 1.8× in San Antonio; the middle half of wages spans 21% of the median in Austin and 19% in San Antonio.
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| Percentile | Austin adjusted | San Antonio adjusted | Higher after adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $114,035 | $120,191 | San Antonio |
| 25th | $132,696 | $135,215 | San Antonio |
| 50th (median) | $137,204 | $147,979 | San Antonio |
| 75th | $160,953 | $162,707 | San Antonio |
| 90th | $173,812 | $212,889 | San Antonio |
Twelve months of median gross rent equals 15% of the physician assistants median wage in Austin and 12% in San Antonio (a lens, not a budget). BLS estimates 680 such workers in Austin and 650 in San Antonio. Per 10,000 commuting workers that is 7.1 versus 6.1, ranking 67th and 71st of 75 metros (middle value 12.0). These are employment estimates, not open vacancies.
A role-specific offer checklist for this comparison
Match the actual work: Physician assistant pay can differ by specialty and care system. Metro medians do not represent individual contracts or specialty-specific compensation. Before treating the median difference as a personal salary difference, confirm that both positions share responsibilities, experience requirements and hours, and compare written offers with local rent quotes. The full checklist has the steps.
How reliable are the surrounding housing estimates?
These ACS medians are 2020–2024 five-year metro estimates with published margins of error. Household income covers households, not workers in this occupation.
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| ACS metro context | Austin | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent (± MOE) | $1,726 ± $11 | $1,363 ± $11 |
| Median household income (± MOE) | $100,431 ± $996 | $76,213 ± $781 |
Neither displayed rent nor income estimate crosses the site’s 30% relative-MOE caution threshold. Sampling uncertainty still applies. The 30% flag is our editorial rule, not a Census certification. See the methodology.
How should I use these figures for a relocation decision?
Start with written offers and real housing quotes, then enter them in the browser-only worksheet. Rent is already part of the price parity, so do not subtract it again from a price-adjusted salary. These comparisons are not placement, tax or financial advice.