Austin vs Baytown
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $197,300 in Baytown and $555,300 in Austin.
- Households earn more in Austin ($93,658 vs $59,910 median).
- Austin has more scorching days: 123 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 84.
- Austin is growing faster: +4.6% since 2020 vs +1.2%.
Side by side
| Austin, TX | Baytown, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,002,632 | 86,561 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.6% | +1.2% |
| People per square mile | 3,072 | 2,137 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 34.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60% | 15% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $93,658 | $59,910 |
| Median home value | $555,300 | $197,300 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 3.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,729 | $1,307 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.1 | 98.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 120.4 | 104.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,500 | $74,000 |
| Homeowners | 43% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.7 | 25.4 |
| Work from home | 31% | 6% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.7% | 10.2% |
| Poverty rate | 12% | 18.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 42° | 63° / 41° |
| July high / low | 97° / 75° | 92° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 36 in | 65 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 123 | 84 |
| Nights below freezing | 12 | 9 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.7 | 99.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 44% | 10% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +15.2% | +32.7% |
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: Austin: February to April and October to December. Baytown: February to March.
Full monthly tables: Austin weather by month and Baytown weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,500 in Austin and $74,000 in Baytown. Moving from Austin to Baytown, you would need about $75,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Austin and Baytown
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Austin and Baytown.
Which would you pick?
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