Austin, TX vs Irvine, CA

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

Irvine

67.2

#1452 nationally

Austin leads in cost of living index (129 vs 178). Irvine leads in school rating (9.5 vs 7.2). Irvine leads in median household income ($116,519 vs $91,461).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Austin, TX	Irvine, CA
WhereAtHome Score	68.3 (#1322)	67.2 (#1452)
Population	967,862	307,670
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$504,148	$1,517,431
Median Household Income	$91,461	$116,519
Average Commute	26.8 min	25.8 min
Walk Score	42	44
Crime Level	Moderate	Very Low
School Rating	7.2	9.5
Cost of Living Index	129	178
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.3	D+2.6