Austin neighborhoods by what they cost.

Pick a budget tier

Tiers use the RentCafe all-unit average (as of Sep 30 to Oct 2, 2026). Citywide, RentCafe puts an Austin 1-bedroom at $1,427 and a 2-bedroom at $1,822, so a smaller unit in any tier will usually cost less than the average shown.

All 20 areas

“City tax rate” is the rate the city itself charges per $100 of taxable value, for the 2026 tax year (the budget year that started Oct 1, 2026) unless marked. Your full bill also includes the county, a school district, and in Travis County, Central Health and Austin Community College. School districts listed are the main one for each area. Several areas cross district lines, so check the exact address with the Travis or Williamson appraisal district before you sign.

The areas, briefly

$2,100 and up

Downtown ($3,331). Second on RentCafe’s list of 90 Austin neighborhoods, behind only West University near campus. Nearly every rental here is in a managed high-rise, so the average is a fair picture of Downtown in a way it is not for house-heavy areas.

Bouldin Creek ($2,619). The priciest area south of the river on this page, ahead of Zilker ($2,171) next door. Newer buildings along South 1st and South Congress pull the average up.

Central East Austin ($2,488). Across I-35 from Downtown. Rents here now sit well above the city’s $1,646 average.

Mueller ($2,392). The master-planned neighborhood on the old airport site is one of the few on this page where rent rose: RentCafe has it up 1.52% from $2,356. A 1-bedroom averages $2,129, which is about $700 above the citywide 1-bedroom.

$1,700 to $2,100

Travis Heights ($1,983) and East Cesar Chavez ($1,977). Two close-in neighborhoods that cost almost the same. Both are inside Austin city limits and Austin ISD, which set its 2026-27 rate at $0.9184, down from $0.9252.

Bee Cave ($1,904). The suburb with the highest rent and the lowest city tax. RentCafe has rent up 6.15% from $1,793 (Oct 2, 2026). Apartment List’s median for Bee Cave is lower, $1,587, but it is still the top of its Austin metro list. The city rate is two cents per $100, and the city says it hasn’t gone up in 20 years. Your bill is mostly the school district: Lake Travis ISD’s rate is $1.0397 on the city’s rate table. The median home value is $776,400 (Census, 2024), the highest of the suburbs here.

North Burnet, the Domain area ($1,764). RentCafe has no “Domain” entry; North Burnet is the neighborhood that holds it. That is about $120 above the citywide average, a lot less than the close-in neighborhoods.

$1,450 to $1,700

San Marcos ($1,623). Don’t read this as expensive. Student housing with three and four bedrooms pulls the all-unit average up: the average 1-bedroom is just $1,215 and the 2-bedroom $1,501. Apartment List calls San Marcos the cheapest city in the metro at $1,056. The trade-off is the city tax rate, $0.6515, the highest of the suburbs here. Council kept it the same for 2026-27 (Community Impact, Sep 25, 2026).

Georgetown ($1,564). RentCafe has rent down 1.37%, but Apartment List calls it the fastest-growing city in the metro, +5.3%; the two sources measure different things. The city rate went up to $0.363167 from $0.353, adopted Sep 8, 2026. The city expects the average bill to stay about flat because values fell.

Leander ($1,541). Rent is down 2.42% from $1,579, and a 1-bedroom averages $1,252. The city manager recommended keeping the rate at $0.417282, the same as last year, with a hearing on Sep 17, 2026. Leander has the highest median household income of the suburbs here, $139,048 (Census, 2024). Final rate not confirmed

Buda ($1,541). The fastest rent rise of any area on this page: up 7.53% from $1,433 (Oct 1, 2026). Council set a maximum rate of $0.3895 in August. At that rate the city’s share of the median home’s bill would go from $1,378 to $1,474. Final rate not confirmed

South Lamar ($1,498). Close in, but about $150 under the citywide average, and right next to the much pricier Bouldin Creek and Zilker.

Pflugerville ($1,491). Rent is down 2.53%, with a 1-bedroom at $1,245. The proposed city rate rises to $0.5436 from $0.5350, yet the city’s notice says the average homestead bill falls $54, to $1,969, because the average taxable value dropped 4.23%. Pflugerville ISD kept its rate at $1.1069 (Aug 20, 2026). Final rate not confirmed

Under $1,450

Kyle ($1,432). Rent is falling faster here than anywhere else on this page: RentCafe shows down 4.03% and Apartment List down 7.8%, the steepest drop on its Austin metro list. The city also cut its rate 8.34%, to $0.5460 from $0.5957 (CBS Austin, Sep 18, 2026). Trash and recycling rates rise 2.5%.

Cedar Park ($1,421). Rent is down 2.65% from $1,459. The city’s proposed rate is $0.377930, up from $0.36, and council voted on the budget Sep 10, 2026. A city bond election is being planned for May 2027.

Round Rock ($1,417). The cheapest suburb here on RentCafe, with a 1-bedroom at $1,208. Its tax rate is the biggest jump on this page: 42.3 cents, up from 37.2, which passed on first reading Aug 27, 2026. The city puts the tax on a median $370,288 home at $131 a month. Final vote not confirmed

East Riverside–Oltorf ($1,374) and Hyde Park ($1,329). The two cheapest close-in areas on this page, at opposite ends of town. Hyde Park is mostly houses and small older buildings, which is part of why RentCafe’s large-building average is low there.

North Lamar ($1,085). The lowest average on this page and one of the lowest in the city. Only a few north-side neighborhoods, including Georgian Acres ($945) and Mesa Park ($923), come in cheaper.

Suburb tax rates and home values

City rates only. A low city rate can still mean a high total bill once the school district and county are added. Home values are Census medians for owner-occupied homes (2024 data, via Data USA), so they lag today’s sale prices. For comparison, the Unlock MLS median sale price in the city of Austin was $560,000 in Aug 2026, and $412,000 across the metro.

Where a city’s own site had not posted its final 2026-27 rate when we checked, we link the city’s proposed-rate notice or a local news report of the vote. For how city, county and school rates stack into one bill, and the $140,000 school homestead exemption, see Texas property taxes.

Getting around: CapMetro

CapMetro runs Austin’s buses and the MetroRail Red Line, which ends in Leander. Fares go up on Jan 10, 2027.

Sources: CapMetro fares (current) and CapMetro fare increase (approved Sep 28, 2026; a second step follows in Jan 2029).

Out-of-date numbers you’ll still find online

More on Austin

• Austin cost of living

  Citywide rent medians, Austin Energy bills, wages and the metro price level.

• San Antonio neighborhoods

  The same tiers for San Antonio and its suburbs, an hour down I-35.

• Texas property taxes

  How a bill stacks up, the $140,000 homestead exemption, and how to protest.

• Texas rent

  How Austin’s rent compares with other Texas cities.

Every figure links to its source and shows the date it applies to. Read the full methodology.