New Braunfels vs San Marcos
The short version
- New Braunfels is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the San Marcos area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $310,400 in San Marcos and $339,400 in New Braunfels.
- Households earn more in New Braunfels ($86,021 vs $51,281 median).
- New Braunfels is growing faster: +35.5% since 2020 vs +14.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in San Marcos (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| New Braunfels, TX | San Marcos, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 122,492 | 77,830 |
| Growth since 2020 | +35.5% | +14.9% |
| People per square mile | 2,721 | 1,949 |
| Median age | 37.1 | 25.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $86,021 | $51,281 |
| Median home value | $339,400 | $310,400 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 6.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,654 | $1,322 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 94.7 | 98.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 94.6 | 120.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,000 | $73,500 |
| Homeowners | 65% | 31% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.1 | 24.0 |
| Work from home | 16% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.2% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 7.4% | 26.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 64° / 40° | 63° / 38° |
| July high / low | 96° / 73° | 96° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 31 in | 36 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 128 | 124 |
| Nights below freezing | 20 | 33 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 92.7 | 90.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 44% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.5% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +29.3% | +15.2% |
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: New Braunfels: February to April and October to November. San Marcos: February to April and October to November.
Full monthly tables: New Braunfels weather by month and San Marcos weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $71,000 in New Braunfels and $73,500 in San Marcos. Moving from New Braunfels to San Marcos, you would need about $77,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between New Braunfels and San Marcos
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from New Braunfels and San Marcos.
Which would you pick?
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