48fit
Brentwood
$2K median rent
Bungalows between Crestview and Hyde Park. Slightly more cafes than Allandale, slightly less polish than Rosedale.
Family streetsWalk 19Safety 89
Austin/Downtown
71fit
Downtown
Official planning area: Downtown
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · APD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Rainey, Sixth, and the warehouse blocks live here. Highest walk score, highest nightlife, and a crime rate inflated by visitors.
downtown austinraineyrainey street6th streetsixth streetwarehouse district2nd street district
Best in Austin for familiesWalkable AustinUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
0
232 violent · 1652 property · 173.7 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)-50 vs city set
Schools
0
Rating 5.8 / 10 nearby-54 vs city set
Walk
100
OSM: 19 groceries · 44 cafes · 82 transit · 38 parks+82 vs city set
Cost
81
$2,714 ACS median vs your rent budget-16 vs city set
Vibe
100
OSM: 44 cafes · 173 restaurants · 140 bars · 38 parks+86 vs city set
Commute to work
From Downtown, a typical weekday is 6 min to Downtown, 11 min to UT campus, 26 min to The Domain. Not live traffic.
Downtown is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
Downtown
6 min
Rainey, Sixth, Capitol · -14 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
UT campus
11 min
Forty Acres · -9 min vs the city-set median
The Domain
26 min
North Burnet tech · at 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 $2,714 across all occupied rental units — studios through large apartments mixed together, not a live 1-bed or 2-bed quote.
That is 21% of median household income — under the 30% HUD cost-burden line. A household at this area’s median income ($158K) could “afford” about $3,945 a month at 30% of gross pay.
60% of households rent. Median home value is $631,696.
ACS median rent
$2,714
30% income budget
$3,945
Rent / income
21%
Median home
$631,696
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 19 groceries, 44 cafes, 38 parks, and 82 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 38 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (82 stops or stations).
44 cafes and 173 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 19 of 19 other areas in this city set.
Population
10,850
Median age
44.2
Median income
$158K
Renters
60%
Bachelor+
82%
Violent / 1k
21.4
Property / 1k
152.3
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 4 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.
Downtown Austin packs Rainey Street bars, Warehouse District music, Sixth Street, the Capitol, and the lake trail into one planning area. Zillow calls the Walk Score a 99, which matches the high-rises and the fact that you can skip a car for daily life. Crime rates here are inflated by visitors — the same pattern as Chicago’s Loop or LA’s Downtown. Read the per-1k numbers as traffic, not as a verdict on who lives in the towers.
Rainey at 1 a.m. is a different neighborhood from the condo floors above it. If you work downtown and want the trail at lunch, this is the cleanest commute in the city. If you want a grocery that feels like a grocery, look at Mueller or Hyde Park. The lake is the redeeming amenity; the noise is the rent.
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 Downtown safe?
On this map Downtown has a higher Part I rate than most Austin Neighborhood Planning Areas in the set (safety 0 vs city 50). APD logged 21.4 violent and 152.3 property incidents per 1,000 ACS residents — 173.7 combined. Rates mix residents and visitors. They are not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Downtown?
ACS median rent is $2,714. Median home value is $631,696. About 60% of households rent. These are survey medians, not this week's listings.
Is Downtown walkable?
Walk scores 100 here vs 18 for the Austin set — groceries, cafes, and transit stack up inside 800 meters. OpenStreetMap counts within 800 meters: 19 groceries, 44 cafes, 82 transit stops, 38 parks.
Is Downtown good for families?
Nightlife and visitor traffic show up in the amenity mix — not the quietest family default. Nearby school rating is 5.8 / 10. Median age is 44.2.
How long is the commute from Downtown?
Typical weekday minutes to Downtown: 6. Not live traffic. Open the neighborhood page for the other job centers in Austin.
How many people live in Downtown?
About 10,850 residents, median income $158K, 82% with a bachelor's or higher. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · APD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM.
What neighborhoods are next to Downtown?
Closest on this map: Hancock, Bouldin Creek, Brentwood. Compare Downtown vs Hancock if you are deciding between two official planning areas.
Next door
Adjacent on the planning area map, ranked with your weights.
Downtown vs HancockDowntown vs Bouldin CreekDowntown vs Brentwood
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
43fit
Bouldin Creek
$2K median rent
West of South Congress: cottages, food trailers, and the SoCo strip on the doorstep.
NightlifeWalk 28Safety 21
43fit
Central East Austin
$2K median rent
East of I-35, north of Cesar Chavez. Rapid change, strong food, mixed housing, and a walk to downtown.
NightlifeWalk 29Safety 58
36fit
Hancock
$2K median rent
Between campus and Hyde Park. Golf course, student spillover, and a short walk to the Forty Acres.
Near UTWalk 9Safety 47