Austin vs The Woodlands
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $511,700 in The Woodlands and $555,300 in Austin.
- Households earn more in The Woodlands ($140,701 vs $93,658 median).
- Austin is growing faster: +4.6% since 2020 vs +0%.
- Commutes are shorter in Austin (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Austin, TX | The Woodlands, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,002,632 | 121,002 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.6% | n/a |
| People per square mile | 3,072 | 2,796 |
| Median age | 34.7 | 40.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60% | 66% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $93,658 | $140,701 |
| Median home value | $555,300 | $511,700 |
| Home value to income | 5.9× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,729 | $1,822 |
| 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% | 73% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.7 | 27.0 |
| Work from home | 31% | 22% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.7% | 4.9% |
| Poverty rate | 12% | 5.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 63° / 42° | 64° / 44° |
| July high / low | 97° / 75° | 95° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 36 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 123 | 111 |
| Nights below freezing | 12 | 10 |
| 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 | 95.7 |
| 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. The Woodlands: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Austin weather by month and The Woodlands 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 The Woodlands. Moving from Austin to The Woodlands, you would need about $75,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Austin and The Woodlands
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 The Woodlands.
Which would you pick?
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