Brownsville vs San Antonio
The short version
- Brownsville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 9% lower than in the San Antonio area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $139,900 in Brownsville and $235,700 in San Antonio.
- Households earn more in San Antonio ($65,056 vs $52,130 median).
- Brownsville has the warmer winter: January highs of 73°F vs 63°F.
- San Antonio is growing faster: +8% since 2020 vs +3.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Brownsville (21 vs 25 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Brownsville, TX | San Antonio, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 192,957 | 1,548,422 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.6% | +8% |
| People per square mile | 1,447 | 3,103 |
| Median age | 31.2 | 34.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25% | 29% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $52,130 | $65,056 |
| Median home value | $139,900 | $235,700 |
| Home value to income | 2.7× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $923 | $1,324 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 86.0 | 94.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 57.7 | 94.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $64,500 | $71,000 |
| Homeowners | 62% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.4 | 24.5 |
| Work from home | 8% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.2% | 6.2% |
| Poverty rate | 23.7% | 17.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 73° / 53° | 63° / 41° |
| July high / low | 95° / 78° | 95° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 27 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 140 | 122 |
| Nights below freezing | 1 | 14 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.3 | 99.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 30% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.4% | -0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +47.7% | +29.3% |
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: Brownsville: November to April. San Antonio: February to April and October to December.
Full monthly tables: Brownsville weather by month and San Antonio weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $64,500 in Brownsville and $71,000 in San Antonio. Moving from Brownsville to San Antonio, you would need about $82,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Brownsville and San Antonio
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Brownsville and San Antonio.
Which would you pick?
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