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Buda vs Austin

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

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Buda, TXKnown for its schoolsTexas · 15,859 people
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Austin, TXA history townTexas · 979,539 people
Swap order
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.

BudaKnown for its schools
Schools#111 for schools in TXof 583 towns HealthHealthier than 84%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#142 most conserved land in TX3.9 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves All about Buda →
AustinA history town
HistorySettled in 1835207 places on the National Register College town9 collegesThe University of Texas at Austin Work803,922 jobsbased in Austin, a regional job hub All about Austin →
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.

Trails136.6×
Austin has more miles of trail
Austin 532.8 miBuda 3.9 mi
Size61.8×
Austin is the bigger place
Austin 979,539Buda 15,859
Growth since 2010+85.4 pts
Buda has grown faster since 2010
Buda +107.1%Austin +21.7%
Work in town+60.2 pts
More of Austin’s workers stay in town
Austin 65.1%Buda 4.9%
Homeowners+33.2 pts renters
Austin has more renters
Buda 76.6%Austin 43.4%
Household income+32%
Households in Buda earn more
Buda $123,766Austin $93,658
★ 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.

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

Safety
C+BudaSafer than 43% of U.S. towns DAustinSafer than 10% of U.S. towns
Schools
C+BudaBetter than 40% of districts in the state C+AustinBetter than 44% of districts in the state
Health
A−BudaHealthier than 84% of U.S. towns AAustinHealthier than 87% of U.S. towns
8Buda
14Austin

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 632 towns #382#37 Most trailsOutdoors · 405 towns #219#34 SafestSafety · 470 towns #238#443 Highest graduation rateSchools · 584 towns #484#310 Shortest commuteGetting around · 653 towns #452#267 Best schoolsSchools · 583 towns #111#264 Most new homesHousing · 535 towns #235#95 Fastest growingGrowth · 640 towns #26#174

Left end = #1 in Texas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Buda’s rankings →

Where they are

Buda and Austin share a border

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

BudaAustinBudaAustin
Buda ↔ Austin17 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
BudaAustin
Snow a year0″0″
January low39°F42°F
July high96°F97°F
Growing season (days)273d291d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)45th40th
Outdoors & history
BudaAustin
Trails4 mi533 mi
Conserved land5.2%18.3%
Settled18811835
National Register places3207
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—20
Community
BudaAustin
Library hours a week51 hrs61 hrs
Colleges in town—9
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.

BudaAustin
People
Population 15,859Lowest 979,539Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +107.1%Highest TX: +15.9% +21.7%Lowest TX: +15.9%
Median age 37.2±1.7Highest 4% above TX 34.7±0.2Lowest about the TX average
Kids under 18 27.9%±5.3Highest TX: 25% 18%±0.4Lowest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 6.8%±1.9Lowest TX: 13.4% 10.4%±0.3Highest TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 50.1%Lowest TX: 33.8% 59.6%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.3%±2.2Lowest TX: 6.2% 8.2%±0.3Highest TX: 6.2%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $123,766±$8kHighest 58% above TX $93,658±$2kLowest 19% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $446,600±$35kLowest 57% above TX $555,300±$8kHighest 96% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,852±$139Highest 32% above TX $1,729±$14Lowest 23% 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 $7,911Lowest 87% above TX $8,024Highest 90% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 27.4%±14.1Lowest TX: 51.7% 47.7%±1.4Highest TX: 51.7%
Below poverty line 6%Lowest TX: 13.8% 12%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 76.6%Highest TX: 62.6% 43.4%Lowest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2012Highest 20 yrs newer than TX 1994Lowest 2 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 9% above TX 24 minLowest 11% below TX
Work from home 21.3%±4.6Lowest TX: 14.4% 30.7%±0.7Highest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 4.9%Lowest 65.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miHighest 8.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.34Lowest 1.79Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Austin (50%)Houston (3%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 50% work in AustinFew work in Buda
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.2%Lowest 18.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 3.9 miLowest 532.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 1.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 356Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 51.0Lowest 69.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #111 of 583 in TX#264 of 583 in TX
School district HAYS CISDTEXANS CAN ACADEMIES · WAYSIDE SCHOOLS
High school in town Moe and Gene Johnson H SBowie H S
Students per teacherat that high school 19.7Highest 17.6Lowest
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.

Buda neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Buda’s Town Square.

Austin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Austin’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Buda and Austin

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

Bordering Buda

+ Compare
Kyle56,823 people · $335K homes

Towns like Buda

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Katy25,184 people · $402K homes
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Corinth23,385 people · $376K homes
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Manvel14,758 people · $339K homes
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Melissa20,136 people · $454K homes

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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