Irving vs New Braunfels
The short version
- New Braunfels is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 8% lower than in the Irving area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $315,600 in Irving and $339,400 in New Braunfels.
- New Braunfels has the warmer winter: January highs of 64°F vs 57°F.
- New Braunfels has more scorching days: 128 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 106.
- New Braunfels is growing faster: +35.5% since 2020 vs +0.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Irving (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Irving, TX | New Braunfels, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 257,076 | 122,492 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.1% | +35.5% |
| People per square mile | 3,838 | 2,721 |
| Median age | 32.8 | 37.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $81,830 | $86,021 |
| Median home value | $315,600 | $339,400 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 3.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,619 | $1,654 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.1 | 94.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 117.9 | 94.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,300 | $71,000 |
| Homeowners | 38% | 65% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.1 | 27.1 |
| Work from home | 20% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.5% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 11% | 7.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 57° / 36° | 64° / 40° |
| July high / low | 96° / 76° | 96° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 37 in | 31 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 106 | 128 |
| Nights below freezing | 29 | 20 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 92.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 28% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | -0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.4% | +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: Irving: March to April and October to November. New Braunfels: February to April and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Irving 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 $77,300 in Irving and $71,000 in New Braunfels. Moving from Irving to New Braunfels, you would need about $68,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Irving 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 Irving and New Braunfels.
Which would you pick?
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