If you’re relocating to Austin, or you already live here and you’re starting to look north, there’s a good chance you’ve landed on this comparison because you’re trying to figure out which of these five suburbs actually fits your life: Cedar Park, Round Rock, Leander, Georgetown, or Pflugerville. All five sit along the I-35, 183, and 45 corridor north and northeast of the city, and all five have their own price point, pace, and character right now. This guide walks through what actually separates them using current MLS data pulled directly from the Austin Board of REALTORS, not a generic scoring formula from a moving-company quiz.
Two of these suburbs come with a growth story worth knowing before you compare anything else. Georgetown and Leander have repeatedly ranked among the fastest-growing cities in the country over the past several years, trading the top national spots depending on which report and time period you look at. The U.S. Census Bureau’s newest population estimates, released this past May, put Georgetown at 106,907 residents and Leander at 91,132 as of July 2025, up 58.5% and 53.8% respectively since April 2020.
Growth isn’t the whole story, though. Every one of these five markets has cooled in real ways over the past year, even the ones still adding residents quickly, and the suburb with the most new construction isn’t necessarily the one whose prices have moved the most. We’ll walk through each city below, then put all five side by side so you can compare directly.
One geography note up front: Pflugerville actually sits east and northeast of Austin rather than due north like the other four. We’ve included it here because it’s the suburb buyers most often cross-shop against Round Rock and Cedar Park, and because leaving it out would mean skipping the most affordable option in this group. Think of this as a guide to the wider northern corridor along I-35, 183, and 45 rather than a strict compass reading.
All five are strong choices. Which one is right for you comes down to your budget, your timeline, and what you’re optimizing for, whether that’s the newest housing stock, the most negotiating room, or a market that has held its value more consistently than the others.
A note on the numbers before we get into it: the figures below come from 12-month closed-sales and active-listing pulls through the Austin Board of REALTORS’ MLS, not the generic scoring models national relocation sites tend to use. That means the price, inventory, and new-construction figures reflect what’s actually happening in each market right now rather than a composite ranking built from public data that can lag a year or more behind. For a broader look at settling into the area, see our Austin relocation guide and our breakdown of renting versus buying when you relocate.
If you’re relocating from out of state, a few basics apply no matter which of these five suburbs you choose. Texas has no state income tax, which is a meaningful part of the appeal for buyers moving from higher-tax states, but property taxes here run higher than the national average to help make up the difference, and rates vary by city, county, and school district. Homes in newer developments across several of these suburbs also sit inside a Municipal Utility District, which adds its own line item on top of the standard property tax rate. If you’ll live in the home as your primary residence, filing a Texas homestead exemption can meaningfully lower that bill. None of that should be a surprise at closing. We’ll flag MUD status and general tax context for each suburb below, and can walk through the specifics for any home you’re considering.
Quick-Decision Guide
If you’re short on time, here’s where each suburb stands out based on the current data. Full detail on every city follows below.
| If you want… | Look at… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The most affordable median price right now | Pflugerville | Current median closed price of $390,000, the lowest of the five |
| A market that has held its value most consistently | Georgetown | Median price down just 2.2% cumulatively since 2022, versus 6.5% to 11.1% for the other four |
| The newest housing stock and the most new-construction options | Leander | New construction makes up 35.1% of closed sales, second only to Georgetown |
| The fastest-moving, most built-out market | Cedar Park | Lowest months of inventory (about 3.5) and the shortest typical time on market of the five |
| More negotiating room and a slower pace | Round Rock | Four straight years of declining median price and the second-highest months of inventory |
| The most homes to choose from right now | Georgetown | 1,265 active listings, nearly double any other suburb in this comparison |
Cedar Park
Cedar Park sits along 183A northwest of Austin, close to the Domain and North Austin’s employment corridor, with a more established, built-out feel than some of its faster-growing neighbors. Homes here are served by Leander ISD. For a direct comparison, see how it stacks up against its neighbor to the east in Round Rock vs. Cedar Park.
- Current Median Closed Price: $502,500
- 4-Year Price Trend: down 4.3% since 2022, a choppier up-and-down pattern rather than a straight decline
- Median Days on Market: 28 days, the fastest-moving of the five suburbs
- Active Listings: 238, about 3.5 months of inventory, the tightest market in this comparison
- New Construction Share: 4.2% of closed sales, the lowest of the five
Cedar Park’s headline price has bounced around over the past four years rather than declined in a straight line, but price per square foot has compressed every single year, down about 8% cumulatively, and days on market have crept up over the last two years. That points to a market gradually softening beneath a noisier headline number. With new construction making up such a small share of sales, most of what’s available in Cedar Park is resale inventory in established neighborhoods rather than new subdivisions, and the limited new-construction listings that do exist skew toward higher price points.
Because Cedar Park built out earlier than Leander or Georgetown, buyers here are typically choosing between long-established neighborhoods from the 1990s and 2000s and a smaller number of newer sections near 183A. If new construction specifically is the priority, expect fewer options and a higher price point than in Leander or Georgetown.
Best for: buyers who want the fastest-moving, most built-out market of the five and don’t need new construction.
For more information, visit our Cedar Park Neighborhood Guide.
Round Rock
Round Rock is home to major employers including Dell’s corporate headquarters, giving it one of the strongest local job bases of the five suburbs. Homes here are served by Round Rock ISD. See how it compares directly to its largest neighbor in Georgetown vs. Round Rock.
- Current Median Closed Price: $415,000
- 4-Year Price Trend: down 9.8% since 2022, four straight years of decline
- Median Days on Market: 36 days
- Active Listings: 633, about 4.5 months of inventory
- New Construction Share: 12.8% of closed sales, carrying roughly a 10% price premium over resale and typically sitting on the market more than twice as long
Round Rock’s median price has fallen every year for four years running, and the decline has accelerated, with price per square foot and days on market both moving in the same direction. For buyers, that generally means more room to negotiate than in some of the faster-moving suburbs nearby. New construction is available but carries a real price premium over resale and moves slower, worth factoring in if a new build is the priority. If a new build is on the table, it’s worth checking what incentives or rate buydowns the builder is currently offering before you compare it against resale.
Round Rock’s footprint is large, stretching from long-established neighborhoods near I-35 to newer sections toward its outer edges, so the specific commute and housing-stock experience varies more within the city than in some of the smaller suburbs in this comparison. Worth narrowing down which part of Round Rock fits before comparing it directly against Cedar Park or Pflugerville.
Best for: buyers who want a strong local job market and more negotiating leverage on price.
For more information, visit our Round Rock Neighborhood Guide.
Leander
Leander is one of two suburbs in this comparison that has repeatedly ranked among the fastest-growing cities in the country, and it shows in how much new construction is available here. Homes in Leander are served by Leander ISD, the same district that covers Cedar Park (see Leander vs. Cedar Park). If you’re also weighing a smaller, quieter alternative further out, Leander vs. Liberty Hill covers that comparison.
- Current Median Closed Price: $459,000
- 4-Year Price Trend: down 6.5% since 2022, a steady year-over-year decline
- Median Days on Market: 52 days
- Active Listings: 666, about 4.9 months of inventory
- New Construction Share: 35.1% of closed sales, the second-highest of the five; new-construction actives and pendings carry a median list price of $664,900, about 24.5% above the overall active median
Leander’s population has grown 53.8% since April 2020, reaching 91,132 residents as of the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate, but that growth hasn’t translated into rising prices. The median has declined every year for four years, alongside compressing price per square foot and climbing days on market, the same cooling pattern showing up across the entire northern corridor. Many of the newer developments here sit inside Municipal Utility Districts, which add an extra layer of property tax on top of city, county, and school district rates. Confirm MUD status for any specific property before making an offer.
Leander’s rapid growth also means a larger share of its housing stock is recently built, master-planned, and HOA-governed than in Cedar Park or Round Rock. Buyers who want a newer home with modern floor plans and community amenities will generally find more of that inventory here than almost anywhere else in this comparison.
Best for: buyers who want the newest housing stock and the most new-construction options among the five.
For more information, visit our Leander Neighborhood Guide.
Georgetown
Georgetown is the other fastest-growing suburb in this comparison, and by far the largest market of the five by transaction volume, closing more than 3,000 home sales over the past year, roughly double any other suburb here. It’s also home to a historic downtown square that gives it a different character than the newer master-planned communities nearby. Homes here are served by Georgetown ISD. See Georgetown vs. Round Rock for a closer look at its largest neighboring market.
- Current Median Closed Price: $450,000
- 4-Year Price Trend: down just 2.2% since 2022, the smallest decline and the most stable of the five
- Median Days on Market: 60 days
- Active Listings: 1,265, nearly double any other suburb in this comparison, about 4.9 months of inventory
- New Construction Share: 39.0% of closed sales, the highest of the five
Georgetown’s population reached 106,907 as of July 2025, up 58.5% since April 2020, according to the Census Bureau’s newest estimates. Despite that growth, and the highest new-construction share of any suburb in this comparison, Georgetown’s median price has held closer to flat than any other city here. Median square footage sold has also risen every year while price barely moved, so buyers here are typically getting more home for close to the same money than they were a few years ago. Like Leander, many newer sections of Georgetown sit inside Municipal Utility Districts, so confirm MUD status before making an offer on a specific home.
Georgetown’s size works in buyers’ favor here. Its footprint spans the historic downtown core, established mid-size neighborhoods, and large master-planned communities on its edges, so it offers a wider range of housing stock and price points within one city than any other suburb in this comparison, from walkable older homes near the square to new construction further out.
Best for: buyers who want the most inventory to choose from and a market that has held its value more consistently than its neighbors.
For more information, visit our Georgetown Neighborhood Guide.
Pflugerville
Pflugerville sits east and northeast of Austin rather than directly north, but it’s included here because it’s a frequent cross-shop for buyers comparing Round Rock and Cedar Park, and it’s often the most affordable option of the group. Homes here are served by Pflugerville ISD. See Round Rock vs. Pflugerville for a direct side-by-side.
- Current Median Closed Price: $390,000, the lowest of the five
- 4-Year Price Trend: down 11.1% since 2022, the steepest decline in this comparison
- Median Days on Market: 48 days
- Active Listings: 539, about 5.2 months of inventory, the loosest market of the five
- New Construction Share: 29.3% of closed sales
Pflugerville’s price decline has been steeper than any other suburb in this comparison, even though it was never part of the Georgetown and Leander growth story, which suggests the cooling here has more to do with affordability-tier dynamics across the northern corridor than with any one suburb’s growth rate. It also has the highest pending-to-active ratio of the five, meaning a larger share of current inventory is already under contract relative to what’s actively for sale, a sign of a comparatively competitive pace even with more room in the price.
Pflugerville’s neighborhoods are a mix of established, moderately priced subdivisions and newer construction, most built within the past two decades, with more consistent HOA structures across the city than in the older sections of Round Rock or Cedar Park. For buyers focused primarily on price, it’s worth cross-shopping specific Pflugerville neighborhoods against the lower end of Round Rock’s inventory before deciding.
Best for: buyers prioritizing affordability who still want a competitively paced market.
For more information, visit our Pflugerville Neighborhood Guide.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Suburb | Median Price | 4-Yr Trend | Median DOM | New Construction | Months of Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Park | $502,500 | -4.3% | 28 days | 4.2% | 3.5 mo |
| Round Rock | $415,000 | -9.8% | 36 days | 12.8% | 4.5 mo |
| Leander | $459,000 | -6.5% | 52 days | 35.1% | 4.9 mo |
| Georgetown | $450,000 | -2.2% | 60 days | 39.0% | 4.9 mo |
| Pflugerville | $390,000 | -11.1% | 48 days | 29.3% | 5.2 mo |
One pattern in this data is worth calling out directly: new-construction share doesn’t predict which suburb’s prices have held up best. Georgetown has both the most new construction and the smallest price decline of the five, while Pflugerville has less new construction than Georgetown or Leander and the steepest decline. What is consistent across every suburb, regardless of growth rate or new-construction share, is that homes are taking longer to sell and price per square foot has compressed every year for four straight years. That is a shift across the entire northern corridor, not something isolated to one city.
Pace is worth a second look too. Pflugerville and Cedar Park currently have the highest pending-to-active ratios of the five, at 29% and 28%, meaning close to a third of what’s on the market in each city is already under contract. Round Rock and Leander sit lower, around 23%, and Georgetown falls in between at 27%. Combined with months of inventory, that gives a fuller picture than price trend alone: Cedar Park, for example, is both the tightest market by inventory and among the fastest by pace, while Pflugerville pairs the steepest price decline with a genuinely competitive pending ratio, a market moving quickly at a lower price point rather than a slow one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Georgetown and Leander have repeatedly ranked among the fastest-growing cities in the country over the past several years, trading the top national spot depending on the report. As of the Census Bureau’s most recent estimate (July 2025), Georgetown has grown 58.5% since April 2020 to 106,907 residents, while Leander has grown 53.8% to 91,132.
Cedar Park and Leander are both served by Leander ISD, while Round Rock, Georgetown, and Pflugerville each have their own district. Ratings shift from year to year and vary by individual campus, so we’d recommend checking current ratings for the specific schools your address would feed into rather than relying on a district’s overall reputation.
Pflugerville currently has the lowest median closed price of the five at $390,000, followed by Round Rock at $415,000.
Both offer a shorter commute into Austin than suburbs further out. Round Rock has a larger local employment base, anchored by Dell’s corporate headquarters, so plenty of buyers here aren’t commuting into Austin at all. Cedar Park sits closer to the Domain and North Austin’s employment corridor along 183A. Which one works better really depends on where you’ll be working.
No one can guarantee how any market will perform going forward, but the two suburbs show different patterns worth knowing. Georgetown’s median price has held closer to flat than any other suburb in this comparison over the past four years, even with the highest share of new construction, and its population and transaction volume are both larger than Leander’s. Leander’s price has declined more over the same period, alongside the second-highest new-construction share, meaning more competition from newly built homes when it comes time to sell. Past performance in either city doesn’t guarantee future results, but the stability difference is worth weighing against each city’s price point and available inventory before you decide.
Yes. Pflugerville’s current median price is meaningfully lower than any of the other four suburbs in this comparison, and it still has a competitive pending-to-active ratio, meaning homes aren’t sitting unsold.
Texas doesn’t have a state income tax, but property tax rates run above the national average, and the exact rate depends on the specific city, county, and school district a home falls in, plus whether it sits inside a Municipal Utility District. That last piece matters most in the newer sections of Leander and Georgetown, where MUD taxes are more common than in the more established parts of Cedar Park and Round Rock. Get the specific tax rate for any home you’re seriously considering before you factor it into your monthly payment.
Which North Austin Suburb Is Right for You?
The growth-race framing that Georgetown and Leander are best known for is real, and it’s a genuine differentiator worth knowing about before you compare anything else. But it isn’t the deciding factor for most buyers once you look at the current data. Georgetown’s growth has come with unusual price stability, Leander’s growth has come with the most new construction to choose from, and the three suburbs without that growth story, Cedar Park, Round Rock, and Pflugerville, each offer something the faster-growing suburbs don’t: a tighter, faster-moving market in Cedar Park’s case, more negotiating room in Round Rock’s, and the most affordable entry point in Pflugerville’s.
Every one of these five suburbs is a strong choice, and the right one usually comes down to a combination of budget, timeline, and what matters most to you day to day, whether that’s new construction, an established neighborhood, or a market with more room to negotiate. None of them is a wrong answer. The numbers above are meant to help you rule suburbs in or out with real information instead of guessing from a drive-by impression or a generic ranking list.
Talk to a Local Agent About These Suburbs
Reading the data is a good starting point, but it can only take you so far. If you want to walk a specific neighborhood, compare school zones and commute times in person, or find out how a particular home’s price stacks up against the numbers in this guide, reach out below and we’ll put together a plan built around your budget and timeline.
As owner of Eleven Oaks Realty, which has been helping buyers and sellers since 1978, and a Broker Associate with the CRS, ABR, and SFR designations who has been licensed since 2007, Rebecca Jacks brings both the firm’s long track record and her own hands-on experience across Cedar Park, Round Rock, Leander, Georgetown, and Pflugerville to every conversation.
No pressure, no obligation. Just direct answers based on the same current MLS data behind this guide.
Prefer not to fill out a form? Call us at (512) 827-8323, email info@11OaksRealty.com, or visit our contact page.
All market data sourced from the Austin Board of REALTORS MLS, 12-month closed-sales and active-listing windows ending 8/26/26, plus four years of year-by-year closed-sales history. Population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 population estimates (V2025), released May 14, 2026.
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