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Kyle vs Buda

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+44 pts in Buda) and jobs per worker (3.8× in Buda).

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Kyle, TXHomes around $294KTexas · 56,823 people
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Buda, TXKnown for its schoolsTexas · 15,859 people
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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.

KyleHomes around $294K
Housing$294K typical home2% below the TX typical home Outdoors#160 most conserved land in TX12 miles of trails across 12 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 70%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Kyle →
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 →
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.

Growth since 2010+44 pts
Buda has grown faster since 2010
Buda +107.1%Kyle +63.1%
Jobs per worker3.8×
Buda is more of a job hub
Buda 1.34Kyle 0.35
Trails3.2×
Kyle has more miles of trail
Kyle 12.3 miBuda 3.9 mi
Household income+37%
Households in Buda earn more
Buda $123,766Kyle $90,323
Home values+33%
Homes cost more in Buda
Buda $446,600Kyle $334,600
Size3.6×
Kyle is the bigger place
Kyle 56,823Buda 15,859
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $360 more a month in Buda

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.

Kyle$2,000/mo
Typical home $294K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.84% · or rent about $1,752/mo · Housing →
Buda$2,360/mo
Typical home $351K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.77% · or rent about $1,852/mo · Housing →

The difference: $360 a month, about $4,300 a year, between Buda and Kyle.

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.

Where they are

Kyle and Buda share a border

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

KyleBudaKyleBuda
Kyle ↔ Buda5.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
715 Kyle residents work in Buda (2.8% of its workers)
186 Buda residents work in Kyle (2.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in Kyle →
Report cards

Buda places higher on 13 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
BKyleSafer than 58% of U.S. towns C+BudaSafer than 43% of U.S. towns
Schools
C+KyleBetter than 40% of districts in the state C+BudaBetter than 40% of districts in the state
Health
B+KyleHealthier than 70% of U.S. towns A−BudaHealthier than 84% of U.S. towns
7Kyle
13Buda

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

Best schoolsSchools · 583 towns #428#111 Most new homesHousing · 535 towns #41#235 Shortest commuteGetting around · 653 towns #611#452 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 652 towns #344#195 Most educatedPeople · 653 towns #222#90 SafestSafety · 470 towns #150#238 Most remote workersWork · 624 towns #188#81 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 632 towns #279#382

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

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
KyleBuda
Snow a year0″0″
January low39°F39°F
July high96°F96°F
Growing season (days)273d273d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st45th
Outdoors & history
KyleBuda
Trails12 mi4 mi
Conserved land4.5%5.2%
Settled18811881
National Register places43
Community
KyleBuda
Library hours a week52 hrs51 hrs
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.

KyleBuda
People
Population 56,823Highest 15,859Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +63.1%Lowest TX: +15.9% +107.1%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 34.1±1Lowest 4% below TX 37.2±1.7Highest 4% above TX
Kids under 18 25.4%±2.1Lowest TX: 25% 27.9%±5.3Highest TX: 25%
Buda and Kyle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 8%±1Highest TX: 13.4% 6.8%±1.9Lowest TX: 13.4%
Kyle and Buda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 31%Lowest TX: 33.8% 50.1%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7%±1.3Highest TX: 6.2% 4.3%±2.2Lowest TX: 6.2%
Kyle and Buda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $90,323±$3kLowest 15% above TX $123,766±$8kHighest 58% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $334,600±$7kLowest 18% above TX $446,600±$35kHighest 57% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,752±$95Lowest 25% above TX $1,852±$139Highest 32% above TX
Buda and Kyle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,170Lowest 46% above TX $7,911Highest 87% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 58.7%±8.4Highest TX: 51.7% 27.4%±14.1Lowest TX: 51.7%
Below poverty line 8.9%Highest TX: 13.8% 6%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.1%Lowest TX: 62.6% 76.6%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2010Lowest 18 yrs newer than TX 2012Highest 20 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 36 minHighest 36% above TX 29 minLowest 9% above TX
Work from home 13.2%±1.8Lowest TX: 14.4% 21.3%±4.6Highest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 5.3%Highest 4.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.3 miHighest 15.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.35Lowest 1.34Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Austin (45%)Austin (50%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in Buda2% work in Kyle
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.5%Lowest 5.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 12.3 miHighest 3.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 mi 0.4 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 53.2Highest 51.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #428 of 583 in TX#111 of 583 in TX
School district HAYS CISD · IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLSHAYS CISD
High school in town Lehman H SMoe and Gene Johnson H S
Students per teacherat that high school 17.0Lowest 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.

Kyle neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Kyle’s Town Square.

Buda neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Buda’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Kyle and Buda

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Bordering Kyle

+ Compare
San Marcos70,897 people · $310K homes
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Mountain City787 people · $495K homes

Towns like Kyle

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Burleson52,918 people · $308K homes
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Waxahachie45,347 people · $337K homes
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Cedar Hill48,879 people · $303K homes
H
+ Compare
Harker Heights34,128 people · $288K 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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