Demand-Backed Comparison

Compare Austin vs Denver on cost, climate, safety, and daily life

People have logged this comparison 171 times on WhyThere. The cards open full city pages. The charts and matrix below are the fast side-by-side read on housing, climate, walkability, safety, schools, parks, and day-to-day tradeoffs.

AustinDenver
Austin
Photo by MJ Tangonan on Unsplash

Austin

Texas

City page

Denver

Colorado

City page

What Stands Out

A quick read on this comparison

Deterministic summaries based on the data in view.

Housing and tax tradeoff: Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas comes out ahead here on rent burden and rent. This only compares rent burden, rent, home price, and estimated state tax burden; it is not a total cost-of-living ranking.

Biggest tradeoff: Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas is the sharpest split in this comparison: strong on affordability, weaker on sunshine.

Comparison Matrix

City
Route
General Info
Population974,447729,019
Population Density2.9k /sq mi4.6k /sq mi
Center Elevation489 ft(149 m)5,279 ft(1,609 m)
Housing & Wealth
Median Home
$489,253
$524,675
Median Rent
$1,538
$1,833
Median Income$86,556$85,853
Rent Burden21%26%
Climate & Risks
Days with 5+ Hours of Sun309 days/yr338 days/yr
Avg. High80°F65°F
Avg. Low61°F37°F
Comfort Score72/100Great37/100Challenging
Temp Swing35°F50°F
Annual Precipitation49"(124 cm)16"(41 cm)
Annual Snowfall3"(8 cm)41"(104 cm)
Air Quality
Typical: 432024 modeled avg · 25 days > 100
Typical: 512024 modeled avg · 30 days > 100
Infrastructure & Lifestyle
Safety Score62 / 10048 / 100
School Rating8.2/105.9/10
Flood Risk (FEMA)
minimalMinimal Risk
minimalMinimal Risk
Central Tract Wildfire Risk
minimalMinimal
minimalMinimal
Internet Access
Fiber: 58%Cable: 95%
Fiber: 53%Cable: 99%
Demographics
Median Age34.2 years34.9 years
College Educated56%54%
Remote Workers23%21%
Nature Access
Local Nature & Reserves
Finding...
Finding...
Scouting & Local Help
Housing and local helpA practical next step once someone starts picturing the move.
Featured Local Partner
AD
Realtor
Realtor spot available
For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Austin.
One featured slot per city
Featured Local Partner
AD
Realtor
Realtor spot available
For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Denver.
One featured slot per city
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