Arlington vs San Marcos
The short version
- San Marcos is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Arlington area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $304,700 in Arlington and $310,400 in San Marcos.
- Households earn more in Arlington ($75,171 vs $51,281 median).
- San Marcos has the warmer winter: January highs of 63°F vs 57°F.
- San Marcos is growing faster: +14.9% since 2020 vs +2%.
Side by side
| Arlington, TX | San Marcos, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 402,134 | 77,830 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2% | +14.9% |
| People per square mile | 4,196 | 1,949 |
| Median age | 33.7 | 25.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $75,171 | $51,281 |
| Median home value | $304,700 | $310,400 |
| Home value to income | 4.1× | 6.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,470 | $1,322 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.1 | 98.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 117.9 | 120.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,300 | $73,500 |
| Homeowners | 54% | 31% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.6 | 24.0 |
| Work from home | 13% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 12.9% | 26.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 57° / 36° | 63° / 38° |
| July high / low | 96° / 76° | 96° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 37 in | 36 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 106 | 124 |
| Nights below freezing | 29 | 33 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.1 | 90.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 28% | 44% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.7% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +34.4% | +15.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Arlington: March to April and October to November. San Marcos: February to April and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Arlington weather by month and San Marcos weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,300 in Arlington and $73,500 in San Marcos. Moving from Arlington to San Marcos, you would need about $71,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Arlington and San Marcos
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Arlington and San Marcos.
Which would you pick?
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