Austin, TX vs Elgin, IL

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

Elgin

72.8

#824 nationally

Elgin leads in cost of living index (104 vs 129). Austin leads in median household income ($91,461 vs $85,998). Austin leads in average commute (26.8 min vs 28.3 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Austin, TX	Elgin, IL
WhereAtHome Score	68.3 (#1322)	72.8 (#824)
Population	967,862	113,310
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$504,148	$343,260
Median Household Income	$91,461	$85,998
Average Commute	26.8 min	28.3 min
Walk Score	42	43
Crime Level	Moderate	7.3
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	129	104
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.3	D+42.0