We're a community that offers reasonably priced housing, a safe environment, top-rated schools, charming neighborhoods, and big-city amenities at a small-town pace.
Why do so many smart, creative and successful people and companies call Austin home? It’s more than a great place to work and do business. On top of our thriving economy, we offer an unmatched quality of life – for all kinds of people. That unique and engaging Austin character is built on a solid foundation. We’re a community that offers reasonably priced housing, a safe environment, top-rated schools, charming neighborhoods, and big-city amenities at a small-town pace.
ARTS, MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT
As Austin takes its place among the world’s leading cities, our cultural vitality and lifestyle assets continue to grow. Sure, the city is always changing, but it’s usually changing for the better. And you can always find your place in Austin – making friends and getting what you want out of life.
| Museums | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Austin Nature & Science Center |
Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center |
LBJ Presidential Library & Museum |
|
Blanton Museum of Art |
French Legation Museum |
O. Henry Museum |
|
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum |
George Washington Carver Museum |
Texas Memorial Museum |
|
The Contemporary Austin |
Harry Ransom Center |
Thinkery |
|
Elisabet Ney Museum |
Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm |
Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum |
| Performing Arts | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Ariel Dance Theatre |
Ballet Austin |
Paramount Theatre |
|
Austin Chamber Music Center |
Bass Concert Hall |
The State Theatre |
|
Austin Lyric Opera |
Chorus Austin |
Univ. of Texas Performing Arts Center |
|
Austin Playhouse |
Long Center for the Performing Arts |
ZACH Theatre |
|
Austin Symphony Orchestra |
Moody Center |
Zilker Hillside Theater |
|
Austin Vocal Arts Ensemble |
Palmer Events Center |
Over 120 live music venues |
| Festivals | ||
|---|---|---|
|
ACL Music Festival |
Austin Reggae Festival |
Moontower Comedy Festival |
|
ATX Television Festival |
Austin Studio Tour |
Old Settler’s Music Festival |
|
Austin Film Festival |
Fantastic Fest |
Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally |
|
Austin Food & Wine Festival |
Fusebox |
SXSW Music, Film, & Interactive Conference |
|
Austin Record Convention |
Lonestar Round Up |
Texas Book Festival |
| Sports | |
|---|---|
|
Austin Spurs, NBA G-League Basketball Team |
Round Rock Express, AAA Baseball Team |
|
Texas Stars, AHL Ice Hockey Team |
Texas Longhorns, Big 12 Conference College Sports |
|
Austin FC, Major League Soccer |
Austin Gamblers, Professional Bull Riding |
|
Circuit of the Americas, Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, NASCAR, MotoGP |
ATX Pickleballers, Major League Pickleball |
|
Rodeo Austin, ProRodeo (PRCA) event |
Austin Marathon, USATF-sanctioned & certified |
| Other Attractions | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Austin Public Library |
Hamilton Pool Preserve |
State parks: Bastrop, Buescher, Lockhart, McKinney Falls |
|
Barton Springs |
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center |
Texas Capitol |
|
Congress Avenue Bridge bats |
Lady Bird Lake |
Texas Hill Country & the Highland Lakes |
|
Eclectic boutiques to destination outlet malls |
Mount Bonnell |
Zilker Botanical Gardens |
|
Golf Courses number nearly 50 |
Rivers: Blanco, Colorado, San Gabriel, San Marcos |
– |
Resources For Exploring Attractions & Planning Activities
The daily paper, the Austin American-Statesman, offers an online entertainment guide called Austin 360.
The local ‘alternative’ weekly, the Austin Chronicle, provides a roundup of upcoming events including live music listings, arts events, etc., as well as a city guide.
Online visitor’s information is provided by the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau and Texas Tourism.
CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT
Austin is located on the Colorado River, where the stream crosses the Balcones escarpment separating the Texas Hill Country from the Blackland Prairies to the east. Within the city of Austin, elevations range from 400 to 1,000 feet above sea level. The climate is classified as “humid subtropical,” with hot summers and mild winters. Freezing temperatures occur only about 25 days per year. Cold spells are short and seldom last more than two days. While summer days are hot, summer nights are usually pleasant. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year.
| Temperature | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
MINIMUM |
AVERAGE |
MAXIMUM |
|||
|
January |
41.5°F |
5.3°C |
51.5°F |
10.8°C |
61.5°F |
16.4°C |
|
April |
58.6°F |
14.8°C |
69.2°F |
20.7°C |
79.8°F |
26.6°C |
|
July |
74.4°F |
23.6°C |
85.0°F |
29.4°C |
95.6°F |
35.3°C |
|
October |
60.6°F |
15.9°C |
71.2°F |
21.8°C |
81.8°F |
27.7°C |
|
Year |
58.9°F |
14.9°C |
69.3°F |
20.7°C |
79.7°F |
26.5°C |
| Other Measures | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Annual days with a maximum >=90°F (32°C) |
111.1 |
|
|
Annual days with a minimum <32°F (0°C) |
12 |
|
|
Annual precipitation: |
34.32 in |
87.17 cm |
|
Annual snowfall: |
0.6 in |
1.5 cm |
|
Annual avg. wind speed: |
6.6 mph |
10.6 kph |
|
Annual rel. humidity: |
68% |
|
Source: U.S. National Climatic Data Center, 2021 Local Climatological Data Annual Summary: Austin/City, Texas (KATT).
COST OF LIVING
Texas consistently ranks as one of the nation’s most favorable business climates based on its low tax burden and competitive regulatory environment. In Texas, aggregate costs for real estate, energy, wages, and taxes are below most states in the country. Texas features no personal or corporate income tax, and overall the state has one of the lowest state and local tax burdens in the nation, ranking 35th among the 50 states in taxes paid per capita and ranking 45th in taxes paid per $1,000 of personal income.
Compared to other major business centers, Austin is well known for offering affordable living. The National Association of REALTORS reports that the median home price in Austin was $481,200 in 2023 while the national median was $394,600. The National Association of Home Builders, which also produces median home price estimates, has a narrower difference between Austin and the nation. Their third quarter 2024 estimate for Austin is $481,800 and the national estimate is $418,700. NAHB estimates that a typical family in Austin would need to allocate 35% of its pre-tax income to cover the mortgage payment for a median-priced home, compared to 38% nationally.
| Cost of Living Index, Year Ending 2024 Q3 (U.S.=100) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
|
AUSTIN |
CEDAR PARK |
|
Composite Index |
97.5 |
91.7 |
|
Grocery Items (14.67%) |
96.7 |
96.4 |
|
Housing (27.97%) |
104.9 |
85.9 |
|
Utilities (8.75%) |
98.8 |
109.6 |
|
Transportation (10.75%) |
94.0 |
87.1 |
|
Healthcare (4.59%) |
98.4 |
84.3 |
|
Misc. (33.27%) |
92.4 |
92.3 |
Source: The Council for Community & Economic Research, Cost of Living Index.
| Housing: Median home price, existing single-family homes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
PERCENT CH. |
|
|
2021-2022 |
2022-2023 |
||||
|
Austin MSA |
$488,600 |
$555,400 |
$481,200 |
13.7% |
-13.4% |
|
United States |
$357,100 |
$392,800 |
$394,600 |
10.0% |
0.5% |
Source: National Association of Realtors, Metropolitan Median Home Prices & Affordability.
| Median Apartment Rents, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 BEDROOM |
2 BEDROOM |
3 BEDROOM |
|
Austin MSA |
$1,753 |
$2,063 |
$2,648 |
|
U.S. Metros* |
$1,531 |
$1,840 |
$2,385 |
*weighted average of medians for all U.S. metros.
Source: U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, 50th Percentile Rent Estimates.
| Crime: Rate per 100,000 Population, 2023 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
VIOLENT CRIME |
PROPERTY CRIME |
|||
|
Austin MSA |
321.4 |
2,138.2 |
|||
|
United States Metros |
392.2 |
2,029.5 |
|||
Note: Violent crimes are offenses of murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crimes are offenses of burglary, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft.
Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States.
Cost of Living Index Calculator
The calculator below will allow you to make an accurate and reliable cost of living comparisons between The Austin metro and other areas across the U.S.
This Calculator uses data pulled quarterly from the respected Cost of Living Index, produced by the Council for Community & Economic Research since 1968. Prices are collected on nearly 60 carefully chosen goods and services and weighted based on government survey data on household spending patterns.
Based on your income in your current location, you can obtain an estimate of the salary you would need to earn in Austin to maintain your present lifestyle. The report will indicate how much more or less different categories of spending will be, expected spending comparisons for different household types, and average price comparisons by item.
Faith & Nonprofit Communities
Austin currently has more than 800 churches and synagogues, multiple mosques, as well as Hindu and Buddhist temples, and prides itself on maintaining the atmosphere of a tolerant, diverse and open city. There are three seminaries, the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest, the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the Austin Graduate School of Theology, as well as excellent religious education opportunities, starting with pre-school. There are more than 3,500 active nonprofits in a community that has a history of creative partnerships between government, nonprofit organizations and local businesses to address important needs of the local population.
Businesses that wish to establish corporate giving and employee volunteerism programs have a wealth of resources to draw upon from the Volunteer Center at the United Way for Greater Austin to the nonprofit management support networks at Austin Gives, Mission Capital (formerly Greenlights for Nonprofit Success) or I Live Here, I Give Here. Community Impact Newspaper also maintains a Central Texas Volunteer Guide, and so does the Austin Public Library.
Healthcare
Austin’s expanding healthcare system rivals that of any major metropolitan area. Fifty area hospitals, not including two under construction, and a dedicated children’s hospital, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, complement community clinical services of nearly 5,100 direct patient care physicians. Even though Austin is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, our physician-to-population ratio tops those of Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Recent area medical center expansions bring the total number of licensed hospital beds to over 5,600. Choice of care providers is diverse. Ascension Seton, St. David’s HealthCare, and Baylor Scott & White operate 27 of the region’s 50 hospitals, with the remainder run by 16 different non-profit and for-profit systems.
The Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, which enrolled its first class in 2016, will improve health in Travis County and throughout the country by training new physicians, providing treatment in a new teaching hospital, and conducting research to expand knowledge of medicine and medical technology. As part of a visionary partnership with Ascension Seton and Central Health, a public healthcare district, a new $295 million teaching hospital has been constructed adjacent to the new Dell Medical School. By designing these facilities concurrently within an integrated complex, the effort represents an unprecedented opportunity to create the best possible environment to respond to community needs and provide patient care.
In 2023, the University of Texas System Board of Regents announced plans to launch a monumental healthcare initiative to accelerate and expand UT Austin’s burgeoning medical district into a world-class academic medical center for education, research and patient care. The University of Texas at Austin Medical Center will start with two new hospital towers — The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a UT Austin hospital. MD Anderson, the nation’s #1 cancer hospital, will expand its Houston footprint to Austin by building and operating a new, comprehensive cancer center, while UT Austin will build and operate a new specialty hospital.
recreation
Austin is set in one of America’s most unique natural landscapes, offering ample opportunities for outdoor activities aimed at fitness, recreation, and relaxation. We’ve also got an impressive indoor entertainment scene, renowned for live music and performing arts. In Austin, it’s easy to make a habit out of having fun.