I wanted to ask a quick would you rather question about commute and traffic preferences. Reason being, I am debating whether it's worth it to live closer to downtown Austin or further away and drive in. So, would you rather live within 5 miles of downtown but it still take you 10-20 minutes to get downtown because of city congestion? Or would you rather live 25-35 miles outside of downtown and it take you 30-60 minutes to get in?

Haha, it's mainly true about the commute, but it just depends when you leave. There's been times when I've driven from San Marcos or Bastrop into Austin in about 30 minutes. Obviously not during rush hour, but it's still doable

I live 17 miles straight north of downtown Austin in a neighborhood called Wells Branch. During the summer I leave the house at 7:15 and am downtown by 7:45. When school is in, it's a solid hour.

It's usually 45-60 minutes home when leaving downtown around 5:00.

I take Mopac both ways. I-35 is close 90 minutes both directions during rush hour.

I'd prefer to live closer if given the opportunity but that's me. I hate commuting. We love our neighborhood though and on the weekends we can be downtown in 20 minutes.

How many times per week are you driving into downtown, and what are the relative pros of living further away?

In an absolute bubble, short commute wins every time. But there's probably at minimum 10 other factors that would end up being more important.

My role is hybrid, so I'd be in office 3 times a week and at home 2 days. There's a few houses in Bastrop, Georgetown and San Marcos that are within walking distance of their downtown areas and close-ish to the river. It'd allow me some space from the busyness of the city and also still let me be in a fun area.

I have lived near the Domain and traveled downtown for work for the past 2 years. On a normal Monday/Friday, leaving for the office around 7:45 took roughly 30 minutes. On Tuesday-Thursday, it takes about 45-60 minutes. I preferred living in a bit further out since it was easy to get to amenities (HEB/Home Depot), while still having access to shopping and being able to get downtown on weekends easily (20-25 minutes).

I recently moved jobs to a company headquartered in Northwest Austin, and now my commute is 10-15 every day. No question I'd rather be in my current location than closer to downtown.

G.W_Busch said:

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My role is hybrid, so I'd be in office 3 times a week and at home 2 days. There's a few houses in Bastrop, Georgetown and San Marcos that are within walking distance of their downtown areas and close-ish to the river. It'd allow me some space from the busyness of the city and also still let me be in a fun area.

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I have family members who recently moved to Bastrop and work in Austin.

Due to traffic flow, etc., their commutes are shorter time-wise than when they actually lived in Austin.

I have always been anti long commute. My commute from door to door is about 12 mins at any time because I am close enough that there are 5 different routes I can take. I live in central Austin and work downtown. My wife's commute is 7 mins. I wouldn't have time in my day for a longer commute.

In Austin, I'd advise you to live on the same side of the lake as you work. If your office is downtown, live north. San Marcos to north of the lake is going to be a bear, we did New Braunfels to downtown for 6 months while we we were looking and atleast once a month, you would end up in a 2 hour commute one way or another. It backs up at the tollway flyover, 71, the elevation change just south of downtown and the bridge.

Goldie Wilson said:

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How many times per week are you driving into downtown, and what are the relative pros of living further away?

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The pros are not having to live in Austin. And that's a big pro.

I am not buying the 25-35 miles away commute is 30-60 minutes to downtown. I would guess 40-60+ minutes. It takes 10 minutes to go from pleasant valley and 7th to downtown most times.

Considering your hybrid schedule, I'd buy a larger place further from town, but I grew up in the country and would rather not live in the city (but also hate commutes).

When I lived/worked in Houston I lived and worked in the Greenway Plaza area. Loved it at the time. Walked to work and got to enjoy the nightlife. At this stage, if I was still in Houston or a major city, I would choose to live as far out as possible with a reasonable commute.

From San Marcos, Bastrop or Dripping you are looking at an average commute to be in the office by 8:30 AM of 40-80 mins depending on the day and how traffic feels. Most people are back in the office part time, and the busiest days are Tuesday-Thursday. If you don't mind the white knuckle commute a few days a month then I wouldn't worry about it, but that's a couple hundred hours a year you wont get back

Plenty of reasons not to live in Austin the main one being that you probably cannot afford all the house you want in Austin proper. Average price in $588 per square foot, There is more crime but the odds of being a victim of violent crime are about is about .4% and it's really lower than that considering most violent crimes occur among the homeless or others participating in crime. You are more likely to get an accident on that longer commute. If seeing liberals is going to make you angry everyday, you are probably better off to live in the burbs because there are plenty here. Most of them are great people but more hair dyed tattoo'ed folks that dislike Trump than in the burbs

Plenty of reasons to live in Austin, tons of great places to eat and drink, that the burbs cannot compete with, more access to lots of free events across the city, lots of great paid events, ACL, SXSW, AFW, Hot Luck and plenty of random concerts to attend, good hiking and biking trails, the park system is awesome

I'd obviously rather live in city but I have places in the country to get out to when I need a break.

As others have said, this is a very personal answer. Typically, you can get a larger house on a larger lot for less money the further you get away from downtown. This is really appealing to younger families who need more space, but is totally unnecessary for a single person or a couple with no kids. The desire to or not to commute also plays a huge role.

My experience: I moved to Houston in 2008 and built a house in a suburb. My average commute to work was about 60-90 minutes each way. I did that for about 9 years and then we moved into Houston. My commute now is about 15-20 minutes on a bad day. That means I am spending 1-2 hours less in a car EVERY day. It was a complete life changer for me and my family and we're very glad we did it. More time at home with the family, less eating out due to now having time to cook, less gas, no dreading of a commute, closer to entertainment and amenities, etc

The tradeoff is that I sold my house built in 2008 for $100/SF and bought a remodeled house built in 1962 for $200/SF. We lost 1000 SF, 1 Bedroom, 1.5 Bathrooms, 1 Study/Office, and the lot is half the size. However, the change in lifestyle, ease of access to everything, and great neighbors made it completely worth it.

That being said, once the kids are out of school, my wife and I will likely move to a few acres outside of town to gain some privacy and peace & quiet