Asheville vs Austin
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $440,000 in Asheville and $555,300 in Austin.
- Households earn more in Austin ($93,658 vs $71,102 median).
- Austin has the warmer winter: January highs of 63°F vs 48°F.
- Asheville gets far more snow: 12 inches a year vs 0.
- Austin has more scorching days: 123 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 16.
- Austin is growing faster: +4.6% since 2020 vs -1.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Asheville (18 vs 24 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; North Carolina's top rate is 3.99%.
Side by side
| Asheville, NC | Austin, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 93,523 | 1,002,632 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.3% | +4.6% |
| People per square mile | 2,056 | 3,072 |
| Median age | 40.7 | 34.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 53% | 60% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $71,102 | $93,658 |
| Median home value | $440,000 | $555,300 |
| Home value to income | 6.2× | 5.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,402 | $1,729 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 96.5 | 98.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 93.4 | 120.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $72,400 | $73,500 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 43% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.2 | 23.7 |
| Work from home | 20% | 31% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 4.7% |
| Poverty rate | 14.3% | 12% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 29° | 63° / 42° |
| July high / low | 86° / 65° | 97° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 41 in | 36 in |
| Snowfall per year | 12 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 123 |
| Nights below freezing | 77 | 12 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.3 | 97.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 44% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.4% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.3% | +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: Asheville: April to October. Austin: February to April and October to December.
Full monthly tables: Asheville weather by month and Austin weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $72,400 in Asheville and $73,500 in Austin. Moving from Asheville to Austin, you would need about $76,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Asheville and Austin
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Asheville and Austin.
Which would you pick?
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