Best Places78734, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78734, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
78734 ranks 854th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 78734
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.
78734's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78734 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Household income$140,850 median, better than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 162 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 78734 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,048 a month, better than only 30% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78734
A household needs to earn about $187,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78734 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $140,850, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 78734's effective rate of 1.12%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78734
78734 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78734.
Who works in 78734, and how
Work in 78734 centers on professional & technical and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 51%
- Work from home 43%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 78734
78734 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 78734 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78734, month by month
78734 sees roughly 162 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 50° | 42° |
| April | 80° | 68° | 59° |
| July | 96° | 84° | 75° |
| October | 82° | 70° | 61° |
Flying in and out of 78734
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 21 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 10.7 million passengers in 2025, with 127 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 78734
Schools across 78734 average a B+, better than 81% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lakeway ElA− · 61% proficient
- Serene Hills ElB+ · 53% proficient
- Lago Vista ElC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Four Points MiddleA+ · 68% proficient
- Lake Travis MiddleA · 61% proficient
- Hudson Bend MiddleA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Vandegrift H SA · 73% proficient
- Lake Travis H SA · 68% proficient
- Lago Vista H SB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78734 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78734 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 78734 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 78734 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 98% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 43% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 92% of zip codes and health care access beats 72%.
Common questions about living in 78734
Is 78734 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78734 ranks 854th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, high incomes, and the weather, and lowest on summer heat and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78734 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $683,809. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $140,850 median income, cost of living beats 98% of zip codes.
Is 78734 safe?
Yes, 78734 is safer than 78% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $268 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 78734?
July highs average about 96 degrees, and January highs near 62 with lows near 42. That works out to about 162 pleasant days a year, more than 92% of zip codes.
Is 78734 good for families?
Schools beat 81% of zip codes, crime safety beats 78%, and childcare runs $1,048 a month.
Compare 78734 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78734. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78734 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.
78734 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78734: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78734: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78734: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78734: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78734 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.