Austin vs Plano
The short version
- Austin is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Plano area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $465,900 in Plano and $555,300 in Austin.
- Households earn more in Plano ($112,253 vs $93,658 median).
- Austin has the warmer winter: January highs of 63°F vs 58°F.
Side by side
| Austin, TX | Plano, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,002,632 | 293,028 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.6% | +2.6% |
| People per square mile | 3,072 | 4,087 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 39.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60% | 61% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $93,658 | $112,253 |
| Median home value | $555,300 | $465,900 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,729 | $1,841 |
| 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 | 25.4 |
| Work from home | 31% | 28% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.7% | 4% |
| Poverty rate | 12% | 6.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 42° | 58° / 38° |
| July high / low | 97° / 75° | 97° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 36 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 123 | 108 |
| Nights below freezing | 12 | 23 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.7 | 98.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 44% | 28% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +15.2% | +35.4% |
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. Plano: March to April and November.
Full monthly tables: Austin weather by month and Plano 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 Plano. Moving from Austin to Plano, you would need about $78,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Austin and Plano
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 Plano.
Which would you pick?
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