71fit
Downtown
$3K median rent
Rainey, Sixth, and the warehouse blocks live here. Highest walk score, highest nightlife, and a crime rate inflated by visitors.
NightlifeWalk 100Safety 0
Austin/Central East Austin
43fit
Central East Austin
Official planning area: Central East Austin
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · APD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
East of I-35, north of Cesar Chavez. Rapid change, strong food, mixed housing, and a walk to downtown.
east austin
Best in Austin for familiesWalkable AustinUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
58
17 violent · 217 property · 41.7 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)+8 vs city set
Schools
13
Rating 6.2 / 10 nearby-41 vs city set
Walk
29
OSM: 6 groceries · 11 cafes · 56 transit · 18 parks+11 vs city set
Cost
89
$2,472 ACS median vs your rent budget-8 vs city set
Vibe
21
OSM: 11 cafes · 49 restaurants · 19 bars · 18 parks+7 vs city set
Commute to work
From Central East Austin, a typical weekday is 17 min to Downtown, 19 min to UT campus, 29 min to The Domain. Not live traffic.
Downtown is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
Downtown
17 min
Rainey, Sixth, Capitol · -3 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
UT campus
19 min
Forty Acres · -1 min vs the city-set median
The Domain
29 min
North Burnet tech · +3 min vs the city-set median
Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.
Cost of living
ACS median gross rent is $2,472 across all occupied rental units — studios through large apartments mixed together, not a live 1-bed or 2-bed quote.
That is 27% of median household income — under the 30% HUD cost-burden line. A household at this area’s median income ($110K) could “afford” about $2,755 a month at 30% of gross pay.
63% of households rent. Median home value is $671,103.
ACS median rent
$2,472
30% income budget
$2,755
Rent / income
27%
Median home
$671,103
HUD treats 30% of gross household income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS median rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed — that table is all occupied rental units. Method.
Within a walk
Inside the official planning area or within 800 meters of its centroid, OpenStreetMap maps 6 groceries, 11 cafes, 18 parks, and 56 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 18 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (56 stops or stations).
11 cafes and 49 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Austin set.
Counts from OpenStreetMap, 800 m. Not a Walk Score license. Groceries here beat 15 of 19 other areas in this city set.
Population
5,612
Median age
32.5
Median income
$110K
Renters
63%
Bachelor+
68%
Violent / 1k
3.0
Property / 1k
38.7
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 2 census tracts · APD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-08-31
Nightlife
Crime is APD Part I reports per 1,000 ACS residents — not a judgment of who lives here. Home and rent figures are ACS medians, not live MLS. Read the method.
On the ground
What it is like to live here, beyond the scores.
North of Cesar Chavez and east of I-35, Central East Austin is the fast-change slice: food that draws the rest of the city, mixed housing, and a walk to downtown that still crosses a highway. List prices here have caught up with the reputation. The creative-community story in East Austin roundups is this polygon as much as it is Cesar Chavez.
Rapid infill means the block you tour in March is not the block you move into in October. Safety and cost scores will move with that. Come for restaurants and a shorter commute to the core. Stay if you like watching a neighborhood rewrite itself; leave if you wanted the Mueller plan or the Hyde Park freeze-frame.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, and local coverage, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.
Common questions
Answers from the same ACS, crime, and OSM figures on this page.
Is Central East Austin safe?
On this map Central East Austin sits near the middle of the Austin set for crime (safety 58 vs city 50). APD logged 3.0 violent and 38.7 property incidents per 1,000 ACS residents — 41.7 combined. Rates mix residents and visitors. They are not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Central East Austin?
ACS median rent is $2,472. Median home value is $671,103. About 63% of households rent. These are survey medians, not this week's listings.
Is Central East Austin walkable?
Walk scores 29 here vs 18 for the Austin set — you will likely drive or ride for daily errands. OpenStreetMap counts within 800 meters: 6 groceries, 11 cafes, 56 transit stops, 18 parks.
Is Central East Austin good for families?
Nightlife and visitor traffic show up in the amenity mix — not the quietest family default. Nearby school rating is 6.2 / 10. Median age is 32.5.
How long is the commute from Central East Austin?
Typical weekday minutes to Downtown: 17. Not live traffic. Open the neighborhood page for the other job centers in Austin.
How many people live in Central East Austin?
About 5,612 residents, median income $110K, 68% with a bachelor's or higher. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · APD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM.
What neighborhoods are next to Central East Austin?
Closest on this map: East Cesar Chavez, Mueller, Govalle. Compare Central East Austin vs East Cesar Chavez if you are deciding between two official planning areas.
Next door
Adjacent on the planning area map, ranked with your weights.
Central East Austin vs East Cesar ChavezCentral East Austin vs MuellerCentral East Austin vs Govalle
44fit
Hyde Park
$2K median rent
Streetcar bungalows, porches, and a grocery you can walk to. The classic first stop for people who want central without downtown noise.
Family streetsWalk 9Safety 84
41fit
Mueller
$2K median rent
A planned town on the old airport: alleys, a lake loop, and a grocery at the center. Newer bones, family default.
Family streetsPlannedWalk 20Safety 5
31fit
East Cesar Chavez
$3K median rent
East of the highway, still close enough to walk downtown. Music, murals, and a nightlife score that is not subtle.
NightlifeWalk 20Safety 16
31fit
Govalle
$2K median rent
Further east, still in the city. More yard, fewer bars, a value contrast to Cesar Chavez.
Family streetsWalk 16Safety 26