Best PlacesDowntown Austin, Austin, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Austin, Austin, 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.
Downtown Austin, Austin ranks 51st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown 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.
Downtown Austin, Austin's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Austin, Austin ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Austin, Austin ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 21% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Austin, Austin
A household needs to earn about $230,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Austin, Austin home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $156,564, 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 Downtown Austin, Austin's effective rate of 1.31%, 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 Downtown Austin, Austin
Downtown Austin, Austin's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 Downtown Austin, Austin.
Who works in Downtown Austin, Austin, and how
Work in Downtown Austin, Austin centers on professional & technical and finance & insurance. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 37%
- Work from home 47%
- Transit, walk, or bike 17%
Life in Downtown Austin, Austin
Downtown Austin, Austin has more restaurants and bars per resident than 98% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 85% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Downtown Austin, Austin and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Austin, Austin, month by month
Downtown Austin, Austin sees roughly 163 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 Downtown Austin, Austin
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 7 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 Downtown Austin, Austin
Schools across Downtown Austin, Austin average a B−, better than 76% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Lee ElB+ · 55% proficient
- Mathews ElB+ · 55% proficient
- Blackshear ElD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Kealing MiddleA · 64% proficient
- O Henry MiddleB− · 43% proficient
- Lively MiddleC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- University Of Texas At Austin H SA+ · 90% proficient
- Austin H SA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Austin, Austin school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown 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 Downtown Austin, Austin against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Austin, Austin
Is Downtown Austin, Austin a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Austin, Austin ranks 51st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cell coverage, transit, and walkability, and lowest on summer heat and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Austin, Austin expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $822,107. The overall cost of living runs about 23% above the national average. Set against a $156,564 median income, cost of living beats 96% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Austin, Austin safe?
Downtown Austin, Austin is safer than 45% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $718 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Austin, Austin with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Austin, Austin. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown 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.
Downtown Austin, Austin detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Austin, Austin: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Austin, Austin: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Austin, Austin: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Austin, Austin: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown 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.