The 10 Best Suburbs Near Austin, Texas in 2027

Direct Answer

The best suburb near Austin overall is Round Rock, where a median home price around $430,000 buys top-rated schools, a 25-minute commute to downtown, and the region's strongest job base outside the city core. The best value pick is Pflugerville, where the median sits near $390,000 with newer construction, lower property-tax rates than the city, and quick access to the Dell campus and SH-130 toll road.

This list is for families, remote workers, and tech employees who want Austin access without Austin's downtown prices, which now run well past $600,000. The Austin metro has been one of the fastest-growing large regions in the country for over a decade, and that growth has pushed strong school districts, master-planned communities, and major employers like Tesla, Samsung, Apple, and Dell out into a ring of distinct suburbs.

Every suburb below is a real, currently incorporated community in the Austin metro, ranked on median home price, school ratings, commute time to downtown, and job access, with the strongest all-around performer placed first.

1. Round Rock 🏆 BEST OVERALL

Round Rock sits about 20 miles north of downtown Austin along I-35, and it is the anchor of the metro's northern growth. The median home price is roughly $430,000, and the Round Rock Independent School District carries an A rating from the Texas Education Agency, with Westwood High School routinely ranked among the top public schools in the state.

The draw is balance: a 25-to-35-minute drive to downtown, the Dell Technologies global headquarters in town, and a walkable historic downtown with breweries and the Round Rock Donuts landmark. The Dell Diamond minor-league ballpark and the Kalahari Resort convention complex add weekend draws that most suburbs lack.

For buyers who want one suburb that does everything well, this is the pick. It is best for dual-income families who want short commutes and strong schools without paying central-Austin prices, and it offers a wide housing mix from 1990s ranch homes to brand-new builds on the city's eastern edge.

2. Cedar Park

Cedar Park, about 17 miles northwest of Austin, has a median home price near $485,000 and feeds into the highly rated Leander ISD. The H-E-B Center arena anchors a growing entertainment and retail core, and the suburb is consistently named one of the safest cities in Texas.

Commutes to downtown run 30 to 40 minutes via US-183. Cedar Park suits buyers who want newer master-planned neighborhoods, Hill Country views to the west, and proximity to the Apple campus in north Austin. The city's parks system and the Brushy Creek trail network are major quality-of-life draws.

It ranks just below Round Rock mainly on price and commute length.

3. Pflugerville 💎 BEST VALUE

Pflugerville delivers the most home for the money in the metro, with a median around $390,000 and a lower combined property-tax burden than many neighbors. It sits about 16 miles northeast of downtown and offers fast access to the SH-130 toll road, which routes commuters around I-35 congestion.

Lake Pflugerville and a 6.5-mile shoreline trail give residents an unusual amount of waterfront recreation for a landlocked suburb. The Pflugerville ISD is solidly rated, and the Dell and Tesla Gigafactory job corridors are both within a 20-minute drive. The Stone Hill Town Center handles most everyday shopping.

For first-time buyers and value hunters, nothing else in the metro matches the price-to-access ratio here.

4. Leander

Leander, roughly 22 miles northwest of Austin, has a median home price near $420,000 and is the terminus of the Capital MetroRail Red Line, the only suburb in the metro with commuter rail straight into downtown. The train ride runs about 45 minutes car-free.

Leander ISD is A-rated, and the city has been one of the fastest-growing in the country, with large master-planned communities like Crystal Falls and Travisso offering Hill Country lots and amenity centers. It is best for commuters who would rather ride than drive and for families wanting brand-new homes at a moderate price.

5. Georgetown

Georgetown, about 26 miles north of Austin, anchors the metro's northern edge with the most charming downtown square in central Texas, lined with restored Victorian storefronts. The median home price is near $415,000, and the city is famous for Sun City, a large 55-plus active-adult community by Del Webb with golf, pools, and clubs.

Commutes downtown run 35 to 45 minutes. Georgetown suits retirees, remote workers, and anyone who prioritizes a historic, walkable center over the shortest possible drive. Southwestern University adds a college-town feel, and the San Gabriel River parks offer easy recreation.

6. Lakeway

Lakeway, about 22 miles west of Austin on Lake Travis, is the premier waterfront suburb, with a median home price near $700,000. It feeds the highly regarded Lake Travis ISD and offers marinas, golf courses, and Hill Country scenery.

This is the splurge pick for buyers who want lake access and resort-style living. Commutes downtown run 35 to 50 minutes depending on traffic on RR-620. Best for high earners and empty-nesters who value scenery and recreation over commute speed, with the World of Tennis resort and several country clubs in town.

7. Buda

Buda, about 15 miles south of Austin on I-35, has a median home price near $385,000, making it the southern-corridor value play. It feeds the growing Hays CISD and offers a small but reviving Main Street with antique shops and local restaurants.

Commutes to downtown run 25 to 35 minutes outside rush hour. Buda is best for buyers priced out of south Austin who still want a short drive and a small-town feel, with the Cabela's flagship and Buda's outlet shopping nearby. The city has added several new master-planned communities along FM-2001.

8. Kyle

Kyle, about 21 miles south of Austin, posts a median home price near $340,000, the lowest on this list, with large new-build communities like Plum Creek. It shares Hays CISD schools with Buda.

Commutes downtown run 30 to 40 minutes. Kyle suits budget-focused buyers and families who want the newest possible construction and are comfortable trading a slightly longer drive for the metro's lowest entry prices. The city has more than doubled in population over the past decade, and buyers here often get a four-bedroom home for what a smaller place costs closer to the city.

9. Bee Cave

Bee Cave, about 16 miles west of Austin, has a median home price near $900,000 and anchors the affluent Hill Country west side. The Hill Country Galleria provides upscale shopping and dining, and homes feed into Lake Travis ISD and Eanes ISD.

Commutes to downtown run 25 to 35 minutes via SH-71. This is a high-end pick for buyers who want luxury retail, top schools, and Hill Country lots within a reasonable drive, with easy access to Lake Travis recreation and the wineries west of town.

10. Manor

Manor, about 13 miles east of Austin, rounds out the list with a median home price near $345,000 and the metro's most direct access to the Tesla Gigafactory and the airport. New master-planned communities like ShadowGlen have driven rapid growth.

Commutes downtown run 20 to 30 minutes via US-290. Manor is best for buyers who work on the east side, want affordability, and prioritize a short drive to the Tesla and Samsung job corridors. The city is small but growing fast, with new retail and schools following the rooftops.

What to Know Before You Buy

Texas levies no state income tax, a major draw for high earners relocating from California or the Northeast, but the trade-off is property-tax rates that typically run 2 to 2.5 percent of assessed value, among the highest in the country. On a $430,000 home in Round Rock, that can mean a tax bill near $9,000 to $10,000 a year, so buyers should budget the full carrying cost, not just the mortgage.

Several suburbs, including Pflugerville and parts of the SH-130 corridor, carry lower combined rates because their municipal and school levies are leaner.

Job geography matters more in Austin than in most metros because the major employers are spread across the compass: Dell and Apple anchor the north, Tesla's Gigafactory and Samsung's semiconductor plant dominate the east near Manor and Pflugerville, and the downtown core holds finance, government, and dense tech offices.

Picking a suburb on the same side of the metro as your employer can cut a daily commute in half, since crossing the city on I-35 at rush hour is famously slow.

Finally, weigh school-district boundaries carefully, because they do not always follow city lines. A single suburb like Pflugerville can include homes zoned to different districts, and the gap between an A-rated and a B-rated campus can swing both resale value and daily experience.

Tour the specific zoned schools, not just the district's overall rating, before committing.

How to Choose

• Prioritize commute if you go downtown daily: Manor, Buda, and Pflugerville offer the shortest drives, while Leander offers commuter rail.
• Prioritize schools and focus on Leander ISD (Cedar Park, Leander) and Lake Travis ISD (Lakeway, Bee Cave), both A-rated.
• Prioritize budget and Kyle, Manor, and Pflugerville give you the most square footage per dollar.
• Prioritize job access by matching the suburb to your employer: north for Dell and Apple, east for Tesla and Samsung, west for downtown-adjacent tech.
• Prioritize lifestyle with Georgetown for its square, Lakeway for the lake, and Bee Cave for upscale retail.

FAQ

Which Austin suburb has the best schools? The suburbs feeding Leander ISD (Cedar Park, Leander) and Lake Travis ISD (Lakeway, Bee Cave) consistently earn A ratings from the Texas Education Agency, with Westwood and Vandegrift high schools among the state's highest performers.

Which Austin suburb is the most affordable? Kyle has the lowest median home price on this list at around $340,000, followed closely by Manor and Pflugerville, all of which sit well below the central-Austin median of roughly $600,000.

Which suburb has the shortest commute to downtown Austin? Manor offers one of the shortest drives at 20 to 30 minutes via US-290, while Leander is the only suburb with a one-seat MetroRail ride straight into downtown, taking about 45 minutes without a car.

Are property taxes high in Austin suburbs? Texas has no state income tax, so property-tax rates are relatively high, typically 2 to 2.5 percent of assessed value, but they vary by suburb. Pflugerville and several northern suburbs carry lower combined rates than the city of Austin itself.

Bottom Line

For the best overall mix of schools, commute, jobs, and price, Round Rock is the strongest suburb in the Austin metro at a median near $430,000. If you want the most home for your money, Pflugerville is the best value at roughly $390,000 with low taxes and fast job-corridor access.

Sources

• Texas Education Agency (TEA) school district accountability ratings
• Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) median home price reports
• U.S. Census Bureau population and growth estimates
• Niche.com "Best Suburbs of Austin" rankings
• Capital Metro (CapMetro) MetroRail Red Line schedules
• City of Round Rock and City of Pflugerville official sites
• Texas Demographic Center metro growth data