Austin, TX vs Lakewood, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Austin

68.3

#1322 nationally

Lakewood

63.1

#1796 nationally

Lakewood leads in walk score (58 vs 42). Austin leads in cost of living index (129 vs 168). Lakewood leads in median household income ($113,030 vs $91,461).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Austin, TX	Lakewood, CA
WhereAtHome Score	68.3 (#1322)	63.1 (#1796)
Population	967,862	78,135
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$504,148	$882,830
Median Household Income	$91,461	$113,030
Average Commute	26.8 min	29.8 min
Walk Score	42	58
Crime Level	Moderate	12.4
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	129	168
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.3	D+32.9