Best PlacesCentral East Austin, Austin, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Central East Austin, Austin, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Central East Austin, Austin ranks 554th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Central East Austin, Austin
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.
Central East Austin, Austin's strengths and weaknesses
Where Central East Austin, Austin ranks high
- Short commute16.8 minutes each way, better than 94% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Central East Austin, Austin ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 31% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 31% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Central East Austin, Austin
A household needs to earn about $188,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Central East Austin, Austin home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $111,262, 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 Central East Austin, Austin's effective rate of 1.49%, 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 Central East Austin, Austin
Central East Austin, Austin runs younger 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 Central East Austin, Austin.
Who works in Central East Austin, Austin, and how
Work in Central East Austin, Austin centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 47%
- Work from home 32%
- Transit, walk, or bike 21%
Life in Central East Austin, Austin
Central East Austin, Austin has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 90% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Central East Austin, Austin and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Central East Austin, Austin, month by month
Central East Austin, Austin sees roughly 161 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 99 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 52° | 43° |
| April | 82° | 70° | 60° |
| July | 99° | 86° | 76° |
| October | 85° | 72° | 62° |
Flying in and out of Central East Austin, Austin
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 6 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 Central East Austin, Austin
Schools across Central East Austin, Austin average a B−, better than 71% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Blackshear ElD+ · 25% proficient
- Campbell ElD+ · 22% proficient
- Zavala ElD · 19% proficient
Top middle schools
- Kealing MiddleA · 64% proficient
Top high schools
- University Of Texas At Austin H SA+ · 90% proficient
- Eastside Early College H SD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Central East Austin, Austin school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Central East Austin, Austin 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 Central East Austin, Austin against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Central East Austin, Austin
Is Central East Austin, Austin a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Central East Austin, Austin ranks 554th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on short commutes, fast internet, and transit, and lowest on summer heat and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Central East Austin, Austin expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $657,630. The overall cost of living runs about 3% above the national average. Set against a $111,262 median income, cost of living beats 83% of neighborhoods.
Is Central East Austin, Austin safe?
Yes, Central East Austin, Austin is safer than 63% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $452 per resident a year.
Compare Central East Austin, Austin with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Central East Austin, Austin. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Central East Austin, Austin 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.
Central East Austin, Austin detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Central East Austin, Austin: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Central East Austin, Austin: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Central East Austin, Austin: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Central East Austin, Austin: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Central East Austin, Austin 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.