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Austin vs Buda

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (136.6× in Austin) and size (61.8× in Austin).

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Austin, TXA history townTexas · 979,539 people
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Buda, TXKnown for its schoolsTexas · 15,859 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $850 more a month in Austin

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Austin$3,210/mo
Typical home $497K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.44% · or rent about $1,729/mo · Housing →
Buda$2,360/mo
Typical home $351K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.77% · or rent about $1,852/mo · Housing →

The difference: $850 a month, about $10,200 a year, between Austin and Buda.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Austin places higher on 14 of 22 TX lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Texas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

Austin and Buda share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

AustinBudaAustinBuda
Austin ↔ Buda17 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
3,853 Buda residents work in Austin (50.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Buda →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AustinBuda
Snow a year0″0″
January low42°F39°F
July high97°F96°F
Growing season (days)291d273d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)40th45th
Outdoors & history
AustinBuda
Conserved land18.3%5.2%
Settled18351881
National Register places2073
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here20—
Community
AustinBuda
Library hours a week61 hrs51 hrs
Colleges in town9—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AustinBuda
People
Population 979,539Highest 15,859Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +21.7%Lowest TX: +15.9% +107.1%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 34.7±0.2Lowest about the TX average 37.2±1.7Highest 4% above TX
Kids under 18 18%±0.4Lowest TX: 25% 27.9%±5.3Highest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 10.4%±0.3Highest TX: 13.4% 6.8%±1.9Lowest TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 59.6%Highest TX: 33.8% 50.1%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.2%±0.3Highest TX: 6.2% 4.3%±2.2Lowest TX: 6.2%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $93,658±$2kLowest 19% above TX $123,766±$8kHighest 58% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $555,300±$8kHighest 96% above TX $446,600±$35kLowest 57% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,729±$14Lowest 23% above TX $1,852±$139Highest 32% above TX
Buda and Austin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $8,024Highest 90% above TX $7,911Lowest 87% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 47.7%±1.4Highest TX: 51.7% 27.4%±14.1Lowest TX: 51.7%
Below poverty line 12%Highest TX: 13.8% 6%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 43.4%Lowest TX: 62.6% 76.6%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1994Lowest 2 yrs newer than TX 2012Highest 20 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 11% below TX 29 minHighest 9% above TX
Work from home 30.7%±0.7Highest TX: 14.4% 21.3%±4.6Lowest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 65.1%Highest 4.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 15.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.79Highest 1.34Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Houston (3%)Austin (50%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Buda50% work in Austin
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 18.3%Highest 5.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 532.8 miHighest 3.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.6 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 356Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 69.3Highest 51.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #264 of 583 in TX#111 of 583 in TX
School district TEXANS CAN ACADEMIES · WAYSIDE SCHOOLSHAYS CISD
High school in town Bowie H SMoe and Gene Johnson H S
Students per teacherat that high school 17.6Lowest 19.7Highest
Texas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Austin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Austin’s Town Square.

Buda neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Buda’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Austin and Buda

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Austin

Towns like Austin

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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