CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

30.81° N · 97.60° W · GEOID 4868762

Sonterra

Williamson County, Texas · part of the Austin, TX metro

TexasSonterra, TXSonterraSonterra

The short answer

Sonterra is home to 10,563 people. Median household income is $92,319 a year and median rent is $1,854 a month, 24.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $273,600, about 3.0x annual median household income.

Sonterra stands out on how people work. Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 240 hours a year commuting, more than in 96% of places its size. Also notable: Half the homes were built after 2015, newer housing than in 99% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 415 Texas places we track.

18OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Sonterra scores better than 18% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 320th of 407 in Texas.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%51
Economy 20%61
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%21
Education 10%17
Commute 10%9
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,854
36% above the median place
Median household income
$92,319
15% above the median place
Median home value
$273,600
14% below the median place
Unemployment
4.5%
8% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Sonterra

  • Affordability70% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 95% of the 2,222 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Sonterra

Williamson County gains about 25.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in58,351
Moved out43,488
Net+14,863

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Texas, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within TexasOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$97K
Leavers$87K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Williamson County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Williamson County report $97,400 a year in income on average; those leaving, $87,100, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$74,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,854 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,948 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $273,600.
Getting to work
34 minutes each way on average; 8.2% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Margaret, AL matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
3.0%
54% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
7.8%
36% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
25.9
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSonterraAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year17.8%36% above
Moved from another state13.0%54% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure25.9above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$97,35638% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$87,09124% above
02

What it costs to live here

Owning with a mortgage costs only about $94 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 92% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Sonterra24.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$74,160
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
24.1%
18% above the median place
Home price to income
3.0x
22% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
24%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$74,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Sonterra, $1,854 a month, and local prices for everything else (93.5 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Sonterra, but easier on the budget

Places that match Sonterra on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Margaret, AL8713.2% vs 24.1%$17,400Compare
Anderson Creek, NC8617.2% vs 24.1%n/aCompare
Mont Belvieu, TX8415.4% vs 24.1%$40,400Compare
Highgrove, CA8315.4% vs 24.1%$20,000Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Sonterra.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Sonterra? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
2015
2% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
70.0%
38% above the median place
Property tax rate1
2.0%
124% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureSonterraAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,85436% above
Rent to income124.1%18% above
Property tax rate12.0%124% above
Home price to income13.0x22% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure98.13% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,81713% above
Property tax paid (median)1$5,59271% above
Median home value1$273,60014% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure-1.0%below (median 3.2%)
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure43.3%16% below
Homeownership177.0%16% above
Renters paying 30%+170.0%38% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,9484% above
Vacant homes1County figure3.9%44% below
Median year built120152% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
34 min
37% above the median place
Income per person1
$31,636
21% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home8.2% −34%
Median household income$92,319 +15%
Unemployment4.5% −8%
Poverty rate10.4% −4%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSonterraAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$92,31915% above
Income per person1$31,63621% below
Unemployment14.5%8% below
Average annual pay5County figure$82,56225% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure2.8%24% below
Jobs5County figure238,42058% above
Poverty rate110.4%4% below
Mean commute134 min37% above
Works from home18.2%34% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 22.9%, 258% above the median place.

No health insurance1
22.9%
258% above the median place
Median age1
29.2
25% below the median place
Household size1
3.1
26% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband96.7% +5%
Bachelor's or higher18.5% −42%
High school or higher85.3% −8%
Born abroad14.8% +68%
All 8 people measures
MeasureSonterraAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population110,5633984th largest
Median age129.225% below
Bachelor's or higher118.5%42% below
High school or higher185.3%8% below
Household size13.126% above
Born abroad114.8%68% above
No health insurance122.9%258% above
Homes with broadband196.7%5% above
05

Life in Sonterra

OpenStreetMap shows 0 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 93% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 415 Texas places we track.

75 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents3.8 −63%
Playgrounds per 10k13.3 +41%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k6.6 −41%
Libraries per 10k1.9 2.2×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail 36 miles
  • Waco Mammoth National Monument 60 miles
  • Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park 73 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars19.2 −8%
Shops25.0 −17%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.0 −2%
Doctors' offices and clinics19.6 −3%
Child care centers2.8 +22%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site9
36.0
17% above the median place
Public school students11
126,075
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools11
173
above the median place (median 9)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureSonterraAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure173above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure126,075above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure14.56% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure19.28% below
Shops per 10k7County figure25.017% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure4.02% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure19.63% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.822% above
Parks per 10k83.863% below
Playgrounds per 10k813.341% above
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k86.641% below
Libraries per 10k81.9117% above
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site936.017% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles9150% below
National Register listings10County figure75above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 96°F, 10% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Sonterra. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high12
96°F
10% above the median place
Average temperature12
68°F
23% above the median place
Median air quality index14
53
23% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSonterraAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure96°F10% above
January average low12County figure38°F50% above
Average temperature12County figure68°F23% above
Annual precipitation12County figure35.9 in18% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure90.13% below
Hurricane risk13County figure69.02% below
Tornado risk13County figure93.915% above
Wildfire risk13County figure87.843% above
Heat wave risk13County figure91.01% above
Median air quality index14Metro figure5323% above
Good air days14Metro figure43.6%36% below
08

Sonterra in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 25% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 24% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Sonterra does better than 49% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 76%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,854/mo (2024)$2,410/mo$1,980 to $2,940/mo+4.5%
Median household income$92,319 (2024)$118,000$99,500 to $139,500+4.1%
Median home value$273,600 (2024)$400,000$291,000 to $551,000+6.5%

The median home would be worth 3.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.0 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Sonterra

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Ladson, SC$1,785$78,760Compare
East Riverdale, MD$1,716$81,831Compare
Plano, IL$1,686$86,271Compare
Venus, TX$1,888$106,023Compare
Venus, TXPlano, ILEast Riverdale, MDLadson, SCSonterra, TXSonterraLadsonEast RiverdalePlanoVenusSonterraLadsonEast RiverdalePlanoVenus

Places built like Sonterra

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Sonterra performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Sonterra, TX24.1%5.5%/yrn/a
Murillo, TX12.7%11.0%/yrn/aCompare
Venus, TX21.4%9.2%/yr95.7%Compare
Ward, AR19.8%3.9%/yr18.3%Compare
Camp Swift, TX25.4%4.5%/yrn/aCompare
Princeton, TX25.5%9.4%/yr156.1%Compare
Glenn Heights, TX24.6%3.5%/yr28.2%Compare

Common questions

Is Sonterra a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 18 out of 100, better than 18% of the places we rate and 320th of 407 in Texas. 70% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 95% of the 2,222 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 79 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Sonterra expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 24.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $273,600.

What salary do you need to live in Sonterra?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $74,160 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Sonterra?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Ladson, SC, East Riverdale, MD, Plano, IL and Venus, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Sonterra with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Sonterra itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/sonterra-texas

Citytistics. “Sonterra, Texas.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/sonterra-texas/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.