live in austin and work in waco (Dallas, Georgetown: rent, how much)

[bimori]

i just got a new position in waco tx. i honestly do not want to leave in waco. ive heard good and bad things about waco, but i'll rather like in austin or its surburbs. anyone know about the commute from austin to waco. is this a feasible thing to do, or woul dit be hard to keep up. Thoughts anyone??

[TexasHorseLady]

1-1/2 to 2 hours each way (depending on how you drive and where you live in Austin).

How about Georgetown? It's an easy commute to Austin, and a shorter commute to Waco.

[BlosmTX]

I really wouldn't do it. I lived in Waco for a year about 6 years ago, and would drive into Austin pretty much every weekend for entertainment (I didn't like Waco much- I'm a city girl). Even on the weekend, it was about a 90 minute drive each way. Throw 6 years and rush hour traffic into the mix, and I'd guess you're looking at 2.5 hours one way every day.
Aside from giving up 5+ hours of your life every day, which is time you could spend with your family, working out, reading a good book, etc., the cost of gas would be insane.
Any chance your Waco job would let you work remotely? Or you could live in Waco and come into Austin on weekends, which would probably be cheaper than commuting daily even when you add the cost of a hotel.
Waco is not a horrible place to live, and I understand it's grown a lot since the last time I was there. The cost of living is slightly less than Austin, the traffic is a whole lot better, and you're an easy drive to Dallas or Austin for weekend entertainment.

[bimori]

i wouldnt mind living in georgetown, if it made the commute easier. thanks TexasHorseLady and BlosmTX. i was guessing there would be some good suburbs in austin that would make the commute shorter for me. i think i'll just go crazy living in waco. i am a city guy!!!!

[Trainwreck20]

Georgetown is a great compromise location, but you would not be living in a city. You would be within fairly easy driving distance of Austin, though, and a much easier drive to Waco. Housing is very affordable in GT and over the last few years, quite a few 'ammenities' have located there. Good restaurants, however, are still quite spares.

[TexasHorseLady]

Ah, but we're getting more all the time (and I keep discovering new-to-me ones that have been here for a while and I just never happened upon them - odd to say in such a small town where I spend a great deal of time and being all about the food as I am, but there it is).

[jread]

Given the price of gas and how far it is between Austin and Waco, I would think that situation would be absolutely horrible.

[atxcio]

I agree with jread. It's a horrible waste of gas, time and money. You should consider how much of your salary will be taken up by gas money, and add the commuting time to your work hours to see how many hours you would "really" be working and how much you'd "really" be making.

I'd suggest living in Waco, it might be better than you think. Just consider it temporary and enjoy watching your savings grow.

[love roses]

Salado could also be an option. It's only a teensy bit North of Georgetown and wouldn't be god awful far into Austin or Waco. My husband makes that commute from time to time, and if it wasn't for the price of gas I'd say it's no big deal. But another way to look at it is that if you end up choosing to live in Waco, you would be about in the middle of Austin and Dallas, so on weekends you could go to either city and get your city life fix.

[jimmyjack]

Live on up in Waco during the week and rent a place in Austin for the weekends. The double rent you pay will be offset by the gasoline you don't use and you can call in sick on Fridays every once in a while.