Best Places78605, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78605, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
78605 ranks 13,233rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78605
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
78605's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78605 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 176 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 82% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 77% of zip codes
Where 78605 ranks low
- Short commute35.8 minutes each way, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78605
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78605 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $88,680; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 78605's effective rate of 0.83%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78605
78605's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78605.
Who works in 78605, and how
Work in 78605 centers on construction and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 78605
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78605.
What the weather is like in 78605, month by month
78605 sees roughly 176 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 49° | 41° |
| April | 80° | 67° | 58° |
| July | 96° | 83° | 73° |
| October | 82° | 69° | 61° |
Flying in and out of 78605
The nearest airport, Robert Gray AAF, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Austin-Bergstrom International, about 45 miles away.
The best schools in and around 78605
Schools across 78605 average a C+, better than 49% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Louine Noble ElB · 47% proficient
- Kline Whitis ElB− · 43% proficient
- Bill Burden ElB− · 41% proficient
Top middle schools
- Liberty Hill MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
- Lampasas MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
- Lago Vista MiddleC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- Liberty Hill H SA− · 59% proficient
- Lampasas H SB+ · 54% proficient
- Burnet H SB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78605 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78605 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 78605 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78605
Is 78605 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78605 ranks 13,233rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, the weather, and low taxes, and lowest on long commutes and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78605 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $372,910. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $88,680 median income, cost of living beats 68% of zip codes.
Is 78605 safe?
78605 is safer than 13% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $652 per resident a year.
Compare 78605 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78605. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78605 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
78605 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78605: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78605: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78605: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78605: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78605 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.