City comparison
Fort Worth, TX versus Austin, TX is a real move, not a trivia matchup. This comparison uses the same 2026 neighborhood report data we publish on each city page — typical rent, median household income, crime indexes, school composites, and typical weather — so you can see which city actually fits how you live, work, and spend. Typical rents sit near $1,750 a month in Fort Worth and $1,729 in Austin, and median household income lands at $72,400 versus $93,658. Open either city's full report when you want the block-level detail behind these headlines.
Fort Worth takes safety, while Austin takes affordability, job market, schools, and weather. The widest gap is crime index, where Fort Worth leads by 71% — the kind of spread you feel in a monthly budget or a nightly walk, not just on a chart. Read the category rows as a filter: if cheaper housing would change your life more than a stronger job market, weight rent first. If you are moving with kids, weight schools and crime. If you picked a city after one good weekend, use the weather and income rows to test whether that weekend survives a full year.
Numbers below are citywide, not a guarantee about the street you will actually live on. Two ZIP codes in Fort Worth can feel further apart than Fort Worth and Austin do on paper. Use this page to pick a city, then use the Fort Worth and Austin reports to pick a neighborhood — and visit in the season you like least before you sign anything.
Fort Worth, TX
Austin, TX
Rent
1% cheaper
Austin rent is 1% cheaper than Fort Worth
Fort Worth
$1,750/mo
Austin
Winner$1,729/mo
Typical rent runs $1,729 a month in Austin versus $1,750 in Fort Worth, so Austin is 1% cheaper. The monthly spread is about $21, or $252 a year — noticeable, but rent alone should not pick the city. Use this as a tie-breaker after you compare income, schools, and crime, unless you are already stretching every dollar.
Median income
29% higher
Austin's median income is 29% higher than Fort Worth
Fort Worth
$72,400
Austin
Winner$93,658
Median household income is $93,658 in Austin versus $72,400 in Fort Worth, so typical pay runs 29% higher in Austin — about $21,258 more household income a year. Higher median income usually signals a stronger local job market and better negotiating leverage on salary. Remote workers should weigh this against cost of living rather than treating it as a direct personal benefit. For people who will actually work in town, Austin is the stronger labor market on paper. Fort Worth can still win if housing is cheap enough to offset the weaker median or if your specific role already pays well there.
Crime index
71% lower crime
Fort Worth's crime index is 71% lower than Austin
Fort Worth
Winner32 (100 = avg)
Austin
109 (100 = avg)
Fort Worth's crime index is 32 versus 109 in Austin (100 = national average), so citywide crime runs 71% lower in Fort Worth. That gap is meaningful day-to-day — it affects whether you feel comfortable walking at night, leaving your car on the street, or letting kids play outside unsupervised. Indexes still compress a lot of reality: a calmer city has blocks you would skip, and a higher-crime city has streets that feel neighborly at 10 p.m. On the everyday test of walking from the car to the door, Fort Worth is the easier city. Austin can still work if you pick the right pocket — just budget more diligence before you sign a lease.
School scores
5% higher scores
Austin's school scores are 5% higher than Fort Worth
Fort Worth
A- · 84/100
Austin
WinnerA · 88/100
Austin grades out at A (88/100) against A- (84/100) in Fort Worth — school scores run 5% higher in Austin. The citywide gap is modest. For families with kids it is still worth checking the specific campuses you would actually use, because a small composite lead can disappear — or reverse — two neighborhoods over. Fort Worth is only the better school story if a campus you already researched beats this composite.
Typical weather
4% more comfortable
Austin weather is 4% more comfortable than Fort Worth
Fort Worth
91°F typical
Austin
Winner90°F typical
Austin scores 4% more comfortable on this page's weather index, which rewards temperatures closer to a livable outdoor day. Typical temperatures sit around 91°F in Fort Worth and 90°F in Austin. Fort Worth reads as hot, long summers; Austin reads as hot, long summers. The comfort edge is real but not a personality transplant. If you already know you want Fort Worth's season, a modest index lead should not talk you out of it. If you are undecided, Austin is the city where the forecast fights you less.
Fit check
Families with young children and retirees who prioritize peace of mind over urban energy
Fort Worth is the better fit for families with young children and retirees who prioritize peace of mind over urban energy. The crime index is 71% lower than Austin (32 vs a 100 national average). That gap shows up in how freely you walk at night and how much attention you spend on the car and the deadbolt.
Fit check
Families on a budget who want good schools without coastal price tags
Austin fits families on a budget who want good schools without coastal price tags. Lower typical rent ($1,729/month) plus stronger school scores (A) is the combination that actually changes a decade of life, not just a year of housing. Fort Worth can still win if a specific campus or family network is already there — but on the public data, Austin is the more forgiving place to raise kids without overextending.
It is also a match for career-focused movers who want salary upside and year-round outdoor access. Median household income runs 29% higher ($93,658), and typical weather is the more comfortable of the two — around 90°F. That pairing is for people who will work hard and then actually use the evenings.
Bottom line
If safety is your priority, Fort Worth is the clear choice.
If the job market matters more to you, Austin pulls ahead.
For most movers comparing these two cities, Austin offers the better overall package.
Common questions
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