Texas • The City Guide
Everything you need to know about Austin, Texas — whether you're visiting, moving, or already here.
The biggest concerts, games and shows headed to Austin — refreshed twice daily. See the full events calendar →
Car is king but alternatives exist. Capital Metro buses + MetroRail. Uber/Lyft everywhere. Scooters (Lime, Bird) downtown. Bike lanes expanding. I-35 is always congested. Avoid MoPac at rush hour.
Hot summers (95–105°F June–Sept). Mild winters (40–60°F). Spring is paradise (70–85°F, wildflowers). Fall is the best-kept secret. 300+ days of sunshine. Always carry sunscreen and water.
5–10% above national average. No state income tax (huge benefit). Housing is the big expense. Food and entertainment: reasonable. Gas: below average. Healthcare: average. Overall: much cheaper than CA/NY.
Breakfast tacos (Veracruz, Tacodeli, Torchy's). BBQ (Franklin, la Barbecue). Tex-Mex (Matt's El Rancho, Fonda San Miguel). Food trucks everywhere. H-E-B for groceries. Farmer's markets Saturday.
Live Music Capital of the World. 250+ venues. 6th Street (tourist), Rainey Street (local), East 6th (hip), South Congress (classic). ACL Fest (Oct), SXSW (March). Free live music any night.
Barton Springs (68°F year-round, $5). Lady Bird Lake (10-mile trail, kayaking). Zilker Park. Greenbelt hiking. Hamilton Pool (45 min, reservation required). Town Lake paddleboarding.
Tech dominates: Tesla, Apple, Google, Meta, Oracle, Samsung, Dell. Startups everywhere. Average tech salary: $120–150K. No income tax = bigger paycheck than coastal cities.
Downtown (expensive, walkable). East Austin (trendy, rising). South Austin (weird, affordable-ish). North/Domain (tech, suburban). Round Rock/Cedar Park (families, affordable). Bastrop (rural, cheapest).
AISD is hit-or-miss by neighborhood. Eanes ISD and Lake Travis ISD are top-rated (expensive areas). Round Rock ISD is excellent and affordable. UT Austin is a world-class university.
Traffic is bad (but not LA bad). Summers are brutally hot. Allergies are real (cedar fever Dec–Feb). The 'weird' is real — embrace it. Breakfast tacos are a food group. Queso is a religion.
Downtown, East Austin, South Congress, Zilker, Hyde Park, Mueller, The Domain, and the suburbs — the vibe of each and who it suits.
Explore →Central Texas barbecue, breakfast tacos, Tex-Mex and queso, and the food-truck city — the institutions Austin is known for.
Eat →The Live Music Capital — Sixth Street, Red River, the Continental Club, Antone's, the Broken Spoke, ACL Fest, and SXSW.
Listen →Barton Springs, the hike-and-bike trail, the Greenbelt, Mount Bonnell, the lakes, and the Congress Avenue bats.
Get outside →Climate, no income tax, the tech job market, traffic, real cost of living, and getting your Texas license — a 2026 newcomer guide.
Read →A little Lone Star flavor — Amazon links; we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
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