Austin vs Fort Worth
The short version
- Austin is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Fort Worth area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $303,000 in Fort Worth and $555,300 in Austin.
- Households earn more in Austin ($93,658 vs $79,507 median).
- Austin has the warmer winter: January highs of 63°F vs 56°F.
- Fort Worth is growing faster: +11.9% since 2020 vs +4.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Austin (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Austin, TX | Fort Worth, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,002,632 | 1,028,117 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.6% | +11.9% |
| People per square mile | 3,072 | 2,921 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 33.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60% | 32% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $93,658 | $79,507 |
| Median home value | $555,300 | $303,000 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,729 | $1,509 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.1 | 103.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 120.4 | 117.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,500 | $77,300 |
| Homeowners | 43% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.7 | 27.1 |
| Work from home | 31% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.7% | 4.8% |
| Poverty rate | 12% | 13.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 42° | 56° / 35° |
| July high / low | 97° / 75° | 96° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 36 in | 35 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 123 | 106 |
| Nights below freezing | 12 | 33 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.7 | 99.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 44% | 28% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +0.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +15.2% | +34.4% |
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. Fort Worth: March to May and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Austin weather by month and Fort Worth 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 $77,300 in Fort Worth. Moving from Austin to Fort Worth, you would need about $78,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Austin and Fort Worth
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 Fort Worth.
Which would you pick?
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