What it's like to live in Buda
Buda is a small city in Texas with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Buda deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and hot summers.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Hot summers
How Buda compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Buda
Based on Buda's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,704
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $74,080 a year
- 27% of Buda renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$89,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $44,660
- Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 31% above US
$1,852/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,852 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $446,600. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $446,600 · 27% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Hays County is 3.4%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Hays County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 68% below US
104 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1589/100k · Buda Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 12% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 95°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 40°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 39% above US
50% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail (30 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Buda's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,852/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
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