College Station vs New Braunfels
The short version
- College Station is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the New Braunfels area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $339,400 in New Braunfels and $346,700 in College Station.
- Households earn more in New Braunfels ($86,021 vs $50,900 median).
- New Braunfels is growing faster: +35.5% since 2020 vs +5.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in College Station (17 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| College Station, TX | New Braunfels, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 127,472 | 122,492 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.8% | +35.5% |
| People per square mile | 2,492 | 2,721 |
| Median age | 22.9 | 37.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 57% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $50,900 | $86,021 |
| Median home value | $346,700 | $339,400 |
| Home value to income | 6.8× | 3.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,194 | $1,654 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.0 | 94.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 75.1 | 94.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,200 | $71,000 |
| Homeowners | 35% | 65% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.4 | 27.1 |
| Work from home | 12% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 29.2% | 7.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 62° / 41° | 64° / 40° |
| July high / low | 95° / 75° | 96° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 42 in | 31 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 117 | 128 |
| Nights below freezing | 16 | 20 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 88.4 | 92.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 69% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | -2.2% | -0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +42.4% | +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: College Station: February to April and November to December. New Braunfels: February to April and October to November.
Full monthly tables: College Station weather by month and New Braunfels weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,200 in College Station and $71,000 in New Braunfels. Moving from College Station to New Braunfels, you would need about $78,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between College Station and New Braunfels
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from College Station and New Braunfels.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.