Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 20/100
F
Median home value$310,400
Austin $465,000
Median rent$1,322/mo
Austin $1,726/mo
Cost-burdened households53%
Austin 34%
San Marcos
Hays & Caldwell counties70,897 residents2 school districts
48
D+
Suburbgrade score
14th of 21 Austin suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
48
Austin median 55
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for San Marcos yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 48 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What San Marcos is like to live in, by category
Bars show San Marcos against Austin. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 39/100
D−
Within-state proficiency19th pct
Austin median 54th pct
Student–teacher ratio14.2
Austin median 14.5
Graduation rate83%
Austin median 94%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Housing cost index77
Austin 100
Eff. tax rate1.46%
Austin 1.36%
Local sales tax8.25%
Austin median 8.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 60/100
C
Mean commute24.0 min
Austin 27.3 min
Under 30 minutes68%
Austin 58%
Transit stops / sq mi1.1
Austin median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 74/100
B
Restaurants & cafés117
Austin median 38 · within 2 miles
Groceries4
Austin median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks33
Austin median 37 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 37/100
F
Median household income$51,281
Austin $100,431
Unemployment5.2%
Austin 4.3%
Professional occupations35%
Austin 53%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for San Marcos yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than San Marcos on housing & affordability
San Marcos's weakest grade is F. Three suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Buda15 mi from San MarcosC− 58 C Kyle9 mi from San MarcosD− 51 D+ Lockhart15 mi from San MarcosF 46 D Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in San Marcos
Is San Marcos, TX a good place to live?
San Marcos scores 48 out of 100, 14th of 21 Austin suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is San Marcos expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $310,400, 33% below the Austin median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.46%. $1,322/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in San Marcos?
Schools grade D−. The districts serving San Marcos sit at the 19th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 83% graduation rate and a 14.2 student–teacher ratio. San Marcos is served by San Marcos CISD and Hays CISD. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from San Marcos?
The mean commute is 24.0 min, with 68% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 11% working from home. Transit density is 1.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in San Marcos?
Within two miles there are 4 groceries, 117 restaurants and cafés and 33 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in San Marcos old or new?
The median home in San Marcos was built in 2001 — close to the Austin median of 2002. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 40% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.