Frequently Asked Questions

Yes with caveats. No state income tax, 300 sunny days, world-class food and music, strong job market. But median home is $550K, property taxes are 2%, traffic is bad, and summers hit 105F. It's no longer cheap but the quality of life is hard to beat.

Depends on your budget. Downtown/Rainey St for urban living, South Congress for iconic Austin, East Austin for food/art, Zilker for outdoors, Mueller for walkable families, Cedar Park/Round Rock for affordable suburbs.

Couple comfortable budget: $5,000-7,000/month. Rent: $1,800 (1BR), mortgage: $3,000-4,000 (median home). Groceries: $600-800. Utilities: $200-500 (summer AC is brutal). No state income tax saves $5-15K/year vs California.

Live music (250+ venues, ACL, SXSW), BBQ (Franklin, la Barbecue), tech (Tesla, Apple, Oracle HQ), outdoor lifestyle (Barton Springs, Lady Bird Lake, Greenbelt), breakfast tacos, and the phrase 'Keep Austin Weird.'

Yes. I-35 through downtown is one of the worst corridors in America. MoPac, 183, 360 all back up at rush hour. Pro tip: live on the same side of I-35 as your office. Project Connect light rail is under construction but won't help until 2030+.