Austin vs Mission
The short version
- Mission is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Austin area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $175,700 in Mission and $555,300 in Austin.
- Households earn more in Austin ($93,658 vs $60,767 median).
- Mission has the warmer winter: January highs of 69°F vs 63°F.
- Mission has more scorching days: 183 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 123.
- Commutes are shorter in Mission (21 vs 24 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Austin, TX | Mission, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,002,632 | 88,992 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.6% | +3.7% |
| People per square mile | 3,072 | 2,449 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 34.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60% | 29% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $93,658 | $60,767 |
| Median home value | $555,300 | $175,700 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 2.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,729 | $950 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.1 | 85.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 120.4 | 55.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,500 | $64,400 |
| Homeowners | 43% | 71% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.7 | 20.5 |
| Work from home | 31% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.7% | 7.8% |
| Poverty rate | 12% | 19.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 42° | 69° / 47° |
| July high / low | 97° / 75° | 95° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 36 in | 20 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 123 | 183 |
| Nights below freezing | 12 | 2 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.7 | 99.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 44% | 44% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +7.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +15.2% | +54.5% |
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. Mission: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Austin weather by month and Mission 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 $64,400 in Mission. Moving from Austin to Mission, you would need about $65,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Austin and Mission
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 Mission.
Which would you pick?
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