Should I Move To
Austin, Texas is home to about 958,202 people. On cost of living, it lands in the moderate band — 5% above the national average. The median renter pays around $1,549 a month against a typical household income of $86,556. Our composite UrbRank Score lands at 45 out of 100 (grade D), putting it at #680 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Austin's composite cost-of-living index lands at 105 (100 = US average), which puts it in the moderate band. At $1,549/mo against $86,556 in median household income, the typical renter spends about 21% of income on housing — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Median home value sits around $461,500.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Climate is hot-summer — summer averages around 95°F, winter averages around 40°F. Precipitation totals about 36 inches a year. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. Crime runs notably high by national standards. As always, neighborhood-level data tells a more nuanced story than the citywide figure. AQI runs about 49 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Austin doesn't obviously fit families. The profile-weighted score is 50/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is education (87/100); the soft spot is safety (20/100).
Austin doesn't obviously fit retirees. The profile-weighted score is 43/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is education (87/100); the soft spot is safety (20/100).
Austin doesn't obviously fit remote workers. The profile-weighted score is 43/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is education (87/100); the soft spot is safety (20/100).
Austin doesn't obviously fit young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 54/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is education (87/100); the soft spot is safety (20/100).
Our overall score for Austin is 45/100 — a D, sitting at #680 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Austin sits at 105 — moderate, 5% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,549 a month.
Austin runs hot-summer on the weather. Summer's near 95°F, winter's near 40°F; 36 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 57/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 958,202 people live here, with 56% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 34.
Drop Austin into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Austin with other Texas cities scored on UrbRank.
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