Austin, TX vs Bay City, MI

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Austin

68.3

#1322 nationally

Bay City

79.9

#99 nationally

Austin leads in median household income ($91,461 vs $45,026). Bay City leads in cost of living index (82 vs 129). Bay City leads in walk score (54 vs 42).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Austin, TX	Bay City, MI
WhereAtHome Score	68.3 (#1322)	79.9 (#99)
Population	967,862	32,082
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$504,148	$126,569
Median Household Income	$91,461	$45,026
Average Commute	26.8 min	21.4 min
Walk Score	42	54
Crime Level	Moderate	15.5
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	129	82
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.3	R+14.7