Austin, TX vs Modesto, 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

Modesto

64.2

#1712 nationally

Austin leads in median household income ($91,461 vs $73,375). Modesto leads in walk score (48 vs 42). Austin leads in average commute (26.8 min vs 29.4 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Austin, TX	Modesto, CA
WhereAtHome Score	68.3 (#1322)	64.2 (#1712)
Population	967,862	218,915
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$504,148	$447,153
Median Household Income	$91,461	$73,375
Average Commute	26.8 min	29.4 min
Walk Score	42	48
Crime Level	Moderate	18.0
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	129	130
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.3	R+11.0