Best PlacesSouth Lamar, Austin, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Lamar, 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.
South Lamar, Austin ranks 1,507th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in South Lamar, 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.
South Lamar, Austin's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Lamar, Austin ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where South Lamar, Austin ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 25% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 33% of neighborhoods
- School gradeC, better than only 34% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Lamar, Austin
A household needs to earn about $165,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Lamar, Austin home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $90,430, 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 South Lamar, Austin's effective rate of 1.52%, 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 South Lamar, Austin
South Lamar, 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 South Lamar, Austin.
Who works in South Lamar, Austin, and how
Work in South Lamar, Austin centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 60%
- Work from home 33%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in South Lamar, Austin
South Lamar, Austin has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of South Lamar, Austin and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Lamar, Austin, month by month
South Lamar, Austin sees roughly 159 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 South Lamar, 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 South Lamar, Austin
Schools across South Lamar, Austin average a C, better than 34% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Barton Hills ElA− · 60% proficient
- Zilker ElB · 50% proficient
- Galindo ElD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hill Country MiddleA+ · 75% proficient
- Lively MiddleC− · 30% proficient
- Bedichek MiddleD− · 19% proficient
Top high schools
- Richards Sch For Young Women LeadersA · 71% proficient
- Austin H SA− · 65% proficient
- Crockett EchsC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Lamar, Austin school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Lamar, 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 South Lamar, Austin against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Lamar, Austin
Is South Lamar, Austin a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Lamar, Austin ranks 1,507th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on fast internet, a strong job market, and population health, 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 South Lamar, Austin expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $573,015. The overall cost of living runs about 4% above the national average. Set against a $90,430 median income, cost of living beats 70% of neighborhoods.
Is South Lamar, Austin safe?
Yes, South Lamar, Austin is safer than 72% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $410 per resident a year.
Compare South Lamar, Austin with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Lamar, Austin. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Lamar, 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.
South Lamar, Austin detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Lamar, Austin: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Lamar, Austin: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Lamar, Austin: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Lamar, Austin: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Lamar, 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.