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Austin, TX for digital nomads
Big-city tech hub with two near-citywide fiber networks and a $1.25 bus fare.
As of October 2026, a 1-bedroom near downtown Austin runs $1,730 a month on HUD's FY2027 Small Area Fair Market Rent, against $1,530 across the whole metro area, which includes the far-out and less walkable parts. The downtown walkability index is 15.8 out of 20 (most walkable), 7.4% of households get by with no car, and the fastest advertised home internet is 8 Gbps from Google Fiber. An entire-home Airbnb has a median of $246 a night. The city has 43 open breweries.
- 1-bed near downtown
- $1,730HUD FY2027, utilities in
- 1-bed metro-wide
- $1,530HUD, whole metro
- Walkability
- 15.8/20Most walkable
- No-car households
- 7.4%Car needed
- Fastest internet
- 8 GbpsGoogle Fiber
- Transit ride
- $1.25CapMetro
- Airbnb night
- $246median, entire home
- July high
- 97°FNOAA normal
- Breweries
- 43open, in city
Live in Austin? Tell us what you pay and your number joins the resident figures below the housing section.
Walkability and internet in Austin
| Provider | Type | Top speed | Addresses covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Fiber | Fiber | 8 Gbps | 87% |
| AT&T | Fiber | 5 Gbps | 80% |
| Spectrum | Cable | 1 Gbps | 99% |
Housing costs in Austin
The headline number is HUD's Small Area Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom, utilities included, taken as the median of 9 ZIP codes within 2 miles of downtown: the same circle the walkability score covers, so the rent and the walkability describe the same place. The metro-wide figure is HUD's rent for the whole Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA, which is lower in most cities because it includes outlying areas. The Census figure is what current tenants pay inside the city limits.
What people in Austin say they pay
A second opinion on the official figures, from readers who live here. Each number shows once three people have reported it, marked low confidence until there are five: the middle value of the last 12 months of reports, with the highest and lowest 10% set aside. Reports are stored as numbers only.
Food costs in Austin
Burger and fries at local restaurants
| Restaurant | What was priced | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Dan's Hamburgers | Regular (1/4 lb) cheeseburger $5.35 + small french fries $2.49 | $7.84 |
| Crown & Anchor Pub | Cheeseburger & Fries $12.00 (served with fries) | $12.00 |
| Phil's Icehouse | Allandale Burger (cheeseburger) $12.49, served with fries | $12.49 |
| Hillside Farmacy | Cheeseburger & Fries $20 (wagyu burger, fries included) | $20.00 |
| Billy's on Burnet | Basic American Cheeseburger $14.50 (1/3 lb, served in a basket with french fries) | $14.50 |
Cheese pizza at local pizzerias
| Pizzeria | What was priced | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Home Slice Pizza | Medium Pizza (16 inch) plain cheese, 16 inch | $19.75 |
| Little Deli & Pizzeria | Medium (16 inch) cheese pizza, 16 inch | $18.00 |
| Roppolo's Pizzeria | 16 inch cheese pizza, 16 inch | $17.00 |
| Pinthouse Pizza | Build Your Own large cheese pizza (menu says Large; 16 inch size per search listing), 16 inch | $18.50 |
| Hoboken Pie | Build a Thin-Crust Pie 14 inch base (cheese, no toppings); 20 inch is $23, 14 inch | $17.00 |
Getting around Austin without a car
| How residents get to work | Share |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 57.5% |
| Public transit | 3% |
| Walk | 3.2% |
| Bike | 0.9% |
| Work from home | 24.8% |
Source: Census ACS 2024 1-year, table B08301.
Weather in Austin by month
30-year averages for 1991 to 2020 from the Austin-Camp Mabry weather station, 3.8 miles from downtown.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 63°F | 67°F | 73°F | 80°F | 87°F | 93°F | 97°F | 98°F | 91°F | 83°F | 72°F | 64°F |
| Average low | 42°F | 46°F | 52°F | 59°F | 67°F | 73°F | 75°F | 75°F | 70°F | 61°F | 51°F | 43°F |
| Rain, inches | 2.6 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.7 |
Places to work in Austin
Counts are within 2 miles of downtown.
Coworking spaces within 10 miles
| Coworking space | Address | Miles from downtown |
|---|---|---|
| WeWork | 600 Congress Avenue | 0.1 |
| Industrious | Address not mapped | 0.1 |
| Bitcoin Commons | 601 Congress Avenue | 0.1 |
| Capital factory | Address not mapped | 0.2 |
| PlebLab | 800 Brazos St Suite 260 | 0.2 |
| Galvanize | Address not mapped | 0.4 |
| WeWork | 801 Barton Springs Road | 0.8 |
| Zeta House | 1310 East 2nd Street | 0.9 |
| The Malin | 1515 East Cesar Chavez Street | 1 |
| Clarksville Coworking | 1717 West 6th Street | 1.5 |
| WeWork University Park | 3300 North Interstate 35 | 2.1 |
| Vessel Coworking | 500 East Saint John's Avenue | 5.1 |
| Lucid Private Offices - Arboretum / Domain | 9600 N Mopac Expy | 8.2 |
| WeWork | 11801 Domain Boulevard | 9.6 |
Makerspaces and hackerspaces within 10 miles
| Makerspace | Address | Miles from downtown |
|---|---|---|
| Asmbly | Address not mapped | 7.3 |
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, read Oct 2026. Names link to the space's own website where one is mapped, otherwise to its map entry. Volunteers keep this map, so some spaces are missing; tell us about one and it can be added upstream.
Breweries in Austin
43 breweries listed as open inside the Austin city limits on Open Brewery DB, a community-kept directory, read Oct 2026. Breweries in nearby suburbs are not counted, and a few new ones may be missing.
Camping and van life near Austin
Public land and campgrounds within 50 miles of downtown, from federal map services, read Oct 2026. Distances are straight-line from downtown, so driving is further.
Free overnight spot for van lifers
No free public camping area, BLM land or national forest is mapped within 100 miles, so free overnight parking here means private land with permission or a paid campground.
No Forest Service or BLM campground is mapped within 50 miles of downtown.
Air quality and natural hazards in Austin
| Natural hazard | FEMA risk rating |
|---|---|
| Heat wave | Relatively High |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low |
| Tornado | Very High |
| Earthquake | Very Low |
| Inland flooding | Relatively High |
| Coastal flooding | Not Applicable |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate |
| Drought | Relatively Low |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, for Travis County. Ratings compare this county with every other US county and count the people and buildings exposed, so large counties tend to rate higher.
Indie hacking scene in Austin
Indie meetup found
Dedicated bootstrapper meetups: Scrappy Startups runs a monthly night for pre-revenue and bootstrapped founders, and Austin Founders Feed hosts Beans & Builders coffee meetups. Capital Factory anchors the wider startup scene.
Found by web search in Oct 2026. Meetups come and go, so check the link for current dates.
Questions people ask
How much is rent in Austin, TX?
Near downtown, $1,730 a month for a 1-bedroom and $1,630 for a studio, utilities included: that is HUD's FY2027 Small Area Fair Market Rent, the median of 9 ZIP codes within 2 miles of downtown, as of October 2026. Across the whole Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA the figure is $1,530, 12% less, because it includes outlying areas. Current tenants inside the city limits report a median of $1,593 for a 1-bedroom (Census ACS 2024 1-year).
Is Austin walkable?
Most walkable by the EPA's National Walkability Index: the area within 2 miles of downtown Austin scores 15.8 out of 20, and the area within 5 miles scores 13.7. 3.2% of residents walk to work.
Do you need a car in Austin?
Car needed. 7.4% of Austin households own no car, 3% of residents commute by public transit, and a single CapMetro ride costs $1.25 ($2.50 for a day pass). The bike network scores 36 out of 100 with PeopleForBikes.
How fast is home internet in Austin?
The fastest advertised home plan is 8 Gbps fiber from Google Fiber, offered to 87% of addresses according to FCC coverage data. The cheapest advertised plan starts at $45 a month before fees. Speeds are advertised, not measured.
Is there free camping near Austin?
No named free camping area is mapped within 50 miles of downtown. No BLM land or national forest lies within 100 miles.
What does an Airbnb cost in Austin?
The median nightly price for an entire home was $246 across 8,394 listings in the Inside Airbnb snapshot from Sep 2026.
How hot does Austin get in summer?
The hottest month is August with an average high of 98°F and nights around 75°F. The coldest month averages a low of 42°F. These are NOAA 30-year normals for 1991 to 2020.
How many breweries are in Austin?
43 breweries are listed as open inside the city limits on Open Brewery DB as of Oct 2026: 30 microbreweries, 9 brewpubs, 2 regional breweries, 2 contract breweries. See every Austin brewery with a link and a map.
Is Austin good for indie hackers?
Indie meetup found. Dedicated bootstrapper meetups: Scrappy Startups runs a monthly night for pre-revenue and bootstrapped founders, and Austin Founders Feed hosts Beans & Builders coffee meetups. Capital Factory anchors the wider startup scene.
Know Austin? Spot a wrong number, a missing link or something worth adding? Suggest an update for Austin.
Rent by ZIP code near downtown Austin
HUD publishes rent for each ZIP code. These are the ones within 2 miles of downtown, cheapest 1-bedroom first; each has its own page.
- 78741 $1,510
- 78705 $1,570
- 78712 $1,720
- 78722 $1,720
- 78704 $1,730
- 78746 $1,890
- 78702 $2,050
- 78703 $2,050
- 78701 $2,300
Nearest cities on the site
- Nashville, TN 752 mi, $1,725
- Denver, CO 772 mi, $1,930
- Tucson, AZ 793 mi, $1,100
- Chattanooga, TN 794 mi, $1,245
Cities with similar rent
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