Austin, TX vs Urbandale, IA

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

Urbandale

80.3

#85 nationally

Urbandale leads in average commute (19 min vs 26.8 min). Austin leads in walk score (42 vs 32). Urbandale leads in median household income ($111,888 vs $91,461).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Austin, TX	Urbandale, IA
WhereAtHome Score	68.3 (#1322)	80.3 (#85)
Population	967,862	46,729
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$504,148	$354,918
Median Household Income	$91,461	$111,888
Average Commute	26.8 min	19 min
Walk Score	42	32
Crime Level	Moderate	2.4
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	129	106
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.3	D+10.9