Austin, TX vs San Marcos, TX

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

San Marcos

70.5

#1100 nationally

Austin leads in median household income ($91,461 vs $47,394). San Marcos leads in cost of living index (100 vs 129). San Marcos leads in average commute (23.7 min vs 26.8 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Austin, TX	San Marcos, TX
WhereAtHome Score	68.3 (#1322)	70.5 (#1100)
Population	967,862	71,569
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$504,148	$310,480
Median Household Income	$91,461	$47,394
Average Commute	26.8 min	23.7 min
Walk Score	42	39
Crime Level	Moderate	9.8
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	129	100
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.3	D+5.6