Durham, NC 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.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

San Marcos

70.5

#1100 nationally

Durham leads in median household income ($67,432 vs $47,394). San Marcos leads in walk score (39 vs 33). Durham leads in average commute (22.8 min vs 23.7 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	San Marcos, TX
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	70.5 (#1100)
Population	283,506	71,569
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$310,480
Median Household Income	$67,432	$47,394
Average Commute	22.8 min	23.7 min
Walk Score	33	39
Crime Level	Moderate	9.8
School Rating	6.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	102	100
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+5.6