Moving from San Antonio to Austin: what to expect? (Round Rock: to rent, home)

[FutureATXresident]

Hello All,

I'm a 28 year old married professional that will be relocating to the Austin area from San Antonio for a job offer. My background is in accounting. The wife and I enjoy the low cost of living that San Antonio has to offer, but we're excited to see what Austin has to offer for us.

We're both in our late 20's and early 30's; no kids yet, but we are definitely over the party stage of life. I would consider ourselves home bodies, with the occasional weekend dates to different restaurants or other activities.

I know that Austin caters to the younger crowd, with the live music and different bar options. My question is: what does Austin have to offer for newly married couples? We enjoy the outdoors, shopping, and trying new restaurants. Has anyone on this site ever made the move from San Antonio to Austin? Can you please tell me your experience, and what I can expect.

[El Senor]

Sixth street caters to the younger crowd. Not the entirety of Austin. That would be like judging San Antonio based on the Riverwalk.

There’s more outdoors activities in Austin
The restaurant/foodie scene is light years ahead of San Antonio
Tons of shopping

Cost of living is higher.

Where are you thinking of setting up shop?

[janejanejanejanejane]

We have moved from SA to ATX. Cost of living is a decent amount more. Love ATX way more, though. You'll want to explore the different areas here, though. Lots more than SA.

[ashbeeigh]

Moved up here from SA in '15. Lived in Wells Branch initially. It's closer to Pflugervile and Round Rock than Austin. Too burby for me. Moved t Windsor Park, about ten minutes from downtown. Loved the location and the vibe but not always the safest of places. Initially moved there because of my job, it was five minutes away. I was filling up my gas tank about once every two and a half weeks with everything being within about a ten minute drive of each other. Got a new job 45 minutes away. Now just settling into far south Austin, think kind of De Zavala/10 before it exploded years ago. Rent went from splitting $1200 to paying $797 solo to now paying $1105 on my own. Income has steadily increased to afford those changes. I am just now feeling comfortable in my ability to pay for things with my full time and part time job along with bills.

To say there are more outdoor things to do is a bit of a stretch. Unlike SA, there really isn't a flat trail system like Valero or Salado Creek. You'll get the town lake loop, but it gets old pretty fast with it only being 10 miles. Things aren't as historic like the missions, but nonetheless, there are fun things to do. If you like "hiking" you'll love Austin. For me, when people say hiking to me it sounds more like going for long walks in nature, not like backpacking. Getting to NB for the river is a bit more of a trek, but lots of people go to San Marcos instead. Music is fun. Be prepared to plan for SXSW months in advance and to pay a lot to do ACL.

Where will work be? What do you like about where you are living now and don't like about where you're at now? What is your budget? Someone else posted this same question yesterday but was a different type of ask.

[hitpausebutton2]

be ready for over price items for EVERYTHING!

COL is way higher and no end in sight. .$$$ greed

[riaelise]

I find San Antonio to have more to do but that’s me. It’s not hipster haven but that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned. And the Tex mex flavor of SA is a big plus for me.

[CapitalCityTodd]

There's lots to do and explore in Austin for a couple in your stage of life, depending on what you like to do:

1. Zilker Park is great

2. Barton Springs natural pool is a cool swim spot

3. Lots of great hiking around town, I'll point out the Greenbelt as a large place with many trails and entrances and water features that is fun to explore.

4. Sixth street is for kids and tourists, but Rainey street is a great spot with nice cocktail bars and good for fun.

5. if you like theater, Broadway Across America is here and is great fun.

6. While not big-city world-class there are plenty of enjoyable museums to explore, from the Blanton and a few others on the UT Campus, to the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum.

7. If you've not been before, a tour of the Texas State Capital is well worth the time in my opinion.

8. Lots of festivals all around the year (not all being "young" or "party" scenes). Pecan Street Festival is an art fest/crazy food kind of atmosphere that is fun to explore; Austin Film Festival in October can be great; SXSW while it does have music/party elements, is just as focused on tech and film with great sessions;

9. Lady Bird Lake running through downtown has great water activities, from boating (if you own one, or want to rent one), to kayaking and paddle boarding (if you don't own there are lots of places that rent them). There are also great hiking/jogging trails along it that are popular.

10. Lake Travis as another water-destination for fun.

11. The restaurant and foodie scene here is significantly better and more developed than San Antonio's. The quality and availability of good Mexican food is much less for sure, but that is more than made up for by many others areas. Much better asian options of all varieties, literally the best BBQ in the state, and very possibly the best BBQ destination in the world here.

Lots more to do and see and explore. If you have questions about anything specific just ask.