Do you want to know where the best suburbs Austin has to offer are located? Then you’re in the right place because this is HomeSnacks eleventh time ranking the ten best Austin suburbs.
Austin isn’t just the capital ofTexas; it’s also the live music capital of the world. Perhaps no event is more well-known than the annual South by Southwest Festival that goes down each March, but a plethora of other shows ensures that you can fill up every single day of your calender with live music, if you’re so inclined. A good place for music and some of the tastiest grub you can find in Austin is South Congress Avenue, known to locals as SoCo. Outdoorsmen and women will find plenty to live at McKinney Falls State Park, but even if you’re not down for a 15-minute drive, Zilker Metropolitan Park boasts quite a bit of green for a city park. Not to mention the gorgeous Zilker Botanical Garden and the natural spring/public swimming area of Baton Springs Pool that you can find within the park.
There’s no doubt about it, Austin is an aesthetically pleasing place to call home. But if you’d rather be a regular visitor than a resident, you’ll have to find the perfect suburb to call home. We came up with our list of stellar suburbs by consulting data from the FBI and the Census to find places with low crime, unemployment, and poverty rates, quality housing that won’t break the bank, and plenty of stuff to do. We also gave each city a SnackAbility score based on that data, plus a few extra things like commute times, diversity, and educational opportunities.
We found a pattern — most of the best Austin suburbs are situated north or west of the city. They range from as far as a half-hour away from Austin’s downtown to just a ten-minute drive. There’s also a huge disparity between affordability, with homes in West Lake Hills typically selling for around $1,000,000, while a Pflugerville home will only set you back about $220,000. One thing that each suburb had in common was a reasonable cost of living; even the priciest suburb on this list is only about 40% more expensive to live in than a typical U.S. city.
So get ready to order your first breakfast taco, jive to some live music, and Keep Austin Weird, because we’re heading to the best suburbs the city has to offer.
$158,250 median income · $817,368 median home price
The Hills is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Austin area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome The Hills.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $158,250 a year, which is the 3rd highest in the Austin region. And only 2.2% are out of work. Homes average more than $817,368 each.
$190,060 median income · $741,100 median home price
Located in
Travis County, Texas
Lakeway is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Austin for 2026.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 2.7% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$140,938 median income · $584,099 median home price
Here in Briarcliff, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Austin metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Briarcliff.
$111,172 median income · $823,338 median home price
Located in
Travis County, Texas
Bee Cave ranks as the 4th best suburb of Austin for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Bee Cave and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$198,125 median income · $2,028,011 median home price
Coming in as the fifth best is West Lake Hills.
West Lake Hills gets kudos for having the most expensive homes in the Austin area, where houses sell for an average of $2,028,011. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,364 median income · $689,080 median home price
Dripping Springs is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.4%.
According to online reports, Dripping Springs is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Austin area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$128,224 median income · $488,557 median home price
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Jonestown.
Jonestown schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 16.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
$139,048 median income · $425,972 median home price
Located in
Williamson County, Texas
Leander is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 9.2% of people lack insurance, good for 11th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$129,545 median income · $471,699 median home price
Located in
Williamson County, Texas
Is ‘Everything Better In Cedar Park?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,766 median income · $354,685 median home price
Located in
Hays County, Texas
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Buda.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Texas’s statewide median.
Texas statewide median: $78,476
Texas statewide median: $300,957
Texas statewide median: 5.3%
Texas statewide median: 13.8%
On the map
Where the best Austin suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Austin for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Austin was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Austin.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 24 suburbs to evaluate around Austin.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 24 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Austin.” We’re lookin’ at you, The Hills.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Austin suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Austin Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hills | 3.14 | 2,516 | $158,250 | $817,368 |
| 2 | Lakeway | 5.43 | 19,307 | $190,060 | $741,100 |
| 3 | Briarcliff | 5.86 | 2,735 | $140,938 | $584,099 |
| 4 | Bee Cave | 7.57 | 8,862 | $111,172 | $823,338 |
| 5 | West Lake Hills | 8.14 | 3,285 | $198,125 | $2,028,011 |
| 6 | Dripping Springs | 8.43 | 7,405 | $109,364 | $689,080 |
| 7 | Jonestown | 9.29 | 2,535 | $128,224 | $488,557 |
| 8 | Leander | 9.43 | 74,067 | $139,048 | $425,972 |
| 9 | Cedar Park | 9.57 | 78,301 | $129,545 | $471,699 |
| 10 | Buda | 10.57 | 15,859 | $123,766 | $354,685 |
| 11 | Hutto | 12.14 | 35,483 | $118,834 | $338,960 |
| 12 | Pflugerville | 12.43 | 65,971 | $117,799 | $377,293 |
| 13 | Round Rock | 13.14 | 127,786 | $99,287 | $407,077 |
| 14 | Wimberley | 14.14 | 2,891 | $80,362 | $590,263 |
| 15 | Woodcreek | 14.36 | 2,333 | $74,107 | $402,525 |
| 16 | Georgetown | 15.07 | 85,999 | $95,062 | $426,799 |
| 17 | Kyle | 15.14 | 56,823 | $90,323 | $299,795 |
| 18 | Liberty Hill | 15.43 | 8,371 | $115,096 | $485,096 |
| 19 | Elgin | 16.71 | 11,563 | $91,114 | $275,342 |
| 20 | Bastrop | 18.00 | 11,156 | $81,551 | $351,852 |
| 21 | Uhland | 18.14 | 2,520 | $92,238 | $296,822 |
| 22 | Taylor | 18.57 | 17,136 | $75,508 | $285,633 |
| 23 | Lockhart | 18.57 | 15,326 | $68,400 | $277,443 |
| 24 | Manor | 20.71 | 18,603 | $84,529 | $323,301 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 24 suburbs within 30 miles of Austin.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Austin ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Austin are The Hills, Lakeway, Briarcliff, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Dripping Springs, Jonestown, Leander, Cedar Park, and Buda.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Austin but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Texas? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Austin FAQs
What is the best suburb of Austin?
The Hills is the best suburb of Austin for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Lakeway and Briarcliff are next.
What are the best suburbs of Austin?
The best suburbs of Austin are The Hills, Lakeway, Briarcliff, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Dripping Springs, Jonestown, Leander, Cedar Park, and Buda. We ranked all 24 places within commuting range.
How expensive is The Hills?
The median household income in The Hills is $158,250 and the median home costs $817,368. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Austin?
Any place within 30 miles of Austin qualifies. 24 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Austin suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, The Hills, takes the crown.
