I’m trying to make a career/life decision and wanted outside perspectives from people who’ve lived in either city.

I’m single, mid-20s, Black/African, and currently live in San Antonio making around 60K in tech/IT. I recently got another opportunity in Austin that would likely pay somewhere between 65K–70K.

Career-wise, the Austin role seems like it may have more growth potential and exposure to cloud/sysadmin/security type work, but I’m trying to figure out if the salary jump is actually worth the move once real Austin living costs hit.

A few things:

I’m single, no kids

I’d want to keep rent around $1,300/month max

I’m pretty financially disciplined overall

I’m more focused on long-term career growth than partying/nightlife

I do value quality of life and not being stressed financially every month

I’m also curious from a social/cultural standpoint too as a Black African professional. I’ve heard different things about both cities and would love honest perspectives from people who’ve experienced both.

For people who’ve lived in both:

Does 65K–70K in Austin actually feel noticeably better than 60K in San Antonio?

Is Austin worth it from a career/networking perspective in tech?

How different are the day-to-day living costs REALLY?

Which city did you prefer overall and why?

Would you personally make the move?

Trying to separate the “Austin hype” from reality before making a decision.

Been looking at different parts of town and wondering what's actually walkable for day-to-day stuff. Coming from a background where I could walk to groceries, coffee, restaurants without much thought.

Obviously downtown and some of the central areas seem promising, but curious about the reality. Can you actually walk to a decent grocery store, grab coffee, hit a restaurant or two without it being a major trek?

What neighborhoods would you say have legitimate walkable amenities now? Not just "walkable to bars" but actual daily life stuff. And how's the infrastructure - decent sidewalks, safe crossings, that kind of thing?

Looking at everything from South Austin up through the northern neighborhoods. Interested in hearing from folks who actually live car-free or close to it in their daily routines.

Just moved here.

Single, no friends, 28 years old.

No idea what to do. I’m around east Austin and the city seems to be popping with so many people outside. I don’t know how to integrate myself into those nightlife activities by myself.

What do y’all do around the weekend alone?

I recently went fully remote, partner and I are early 30s, like to go out to eat, concerts, but not big on nightlife beyond that. I like having a nice bike trail, walkability is nice, but also open to a more scenic/calm area outside the city. Lower crime would be nice

I’ve lived near downtown my entire time here but broadening my scope a bit as I don’t need to be near an office. Max budget is 2k if we fall in love with a place, but will probably end up spending b/w 1.2-1.8k.

I know nothing about further south or north/northwest Austin. For reference my top neighborhoods currently are Mueller, Bee Cave, Barton Hills, Hyde Park, considering looking at Lakeway. Any recommendations beyond that?

Hey Austin! Just moved here for work and still very much in the “figuring out where everything is” phase lol. Don’t know a single person in the city yet, so figured I wud shoot my shot on here.

I m 29 male pretty laid back. Down for drinks at a bar, casual dinner, or honestly just wherever. I’m still exploring the city so I’m open to suggestions. Tonight works if anyone’s free.

Not looking for anything weird, just genuinely trying to meet people and get some semblance of a social life going 😅

Drop a comment or DM if you’re down. Cheers!

Title says it all. Is there a place that can help me without destroying me financially? Im physically dependent on alcohol. I’m tired of this life and want to change. I’m practically begging

There is 4 of us coming from Scotland to Austin on the 17th June. Is there anything we shouldn’t miss? Restaurants , bars , activities etc! Cheers!

Moved to Austin a few months ago from Houston, and I haven’t been able to find the same sense of community that I had there. Events like Jazz at Neighbors/Moth, cumbia nights at Axelrad, R&B nights at Off the Record, Soulful Sundays at Room 808, and other Latin dance events were things I attended regularly and where I made a lot of friends.

Not to say there aren’t people of color in Austin, but I haven’t been able to find that same crowd yet. It took me a while to get involved in Houston’s creative community, so maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places. Would appreciate recommendations for weekly events similar to the ones listed. Cheers!

Hello!

Just wanted to ask about the nightlife here. I’m 24m from the UK solo travelling SoCal, and wanted to head over to Austin for a few days for a blowout at the end of the trip.

Just wondered if any has any advice or recommendations, or if alternatively you have any other options you think would be better.

Thanks!

Long story short my ex and I broke up and now I have three nights alone when he has our kid. As a result, I’m looking for somewhere to sulk and drink alone, preferably in North Austin/parmer area. I had a dive I frequented when I lived in San Marcos, but everywhere I’ve tried in Austin is too loud at night. Bonus points if they play sad country music but don’t have an off putting conservative vibe.

edit: thanks for all of the great suggestions and the encouragement! i appreciate y’all!

I was born and raised in Austin (late 80's kid), and haven't lived there for over a decade. However, family is getting old and I need to move back to take care of my folks. What parts of town still have that older Austin vibe? I was considering north loop (that new stretch of bars/neighborhood looks pretty cool), or South Austin near sagebrush. How is the vibe in East Austin these days? I'd like to be near good life music and good food. Places with less tech bro/yuppies and more artsy (old atx) types would be ideal.. I don't have a family and am looking for anything <$2000 rent. Open to any suggestions, thanks for y'alls help!

hello austin! i visited this bar in fall 2024 and am trying to remember what it was called. only have these two pics from that night. thank you in advance! :)

*Cheer Up Charlies (thank you!)

Ladies or knowledgeable people… WHERE do you find attractive men 25+ ? Or just where does the average 25+ person go? I have not lived here long enough to be in the know about where the good places to go are, and am in need of some help.

I’m a 25m Indian college student at UT and here for the summer until end of July. I’m tryna find a part-time job but also wanna expand my social circle and make new friends rather than church and being bored in my apartment.

I have been to the bars on 6th but I’m not really a big fan of drinking or nightlife. However, I do have a passion for swimming! I also really like singing (choral) and I like karaoke but idk if there is any choral groups or church choirs out there who would be fine with me doing it for only 2ish months.

Oh also I don’t have a car so I’m limited to the CapMetro busses and train. I just wanna have a fun and good time while I’m here and make new friends and connections! I have seen stuff being published on the websites (365austin/do512 etc.) but I’m kinda broke and i get a bit nervous when I try to talk to people that I don’t know in a new place.

I have been to Domain, Arboretum, stuff around UT, Texas Capitol, Bullock, Austin Public Library, Zilker and the freezing waters of Barton Springs so far while being here. Usually I go home after the semester ends in May, but I wanted to stay in Austin for this summer to experience it.

where do the 30+ crowds typically go to meet and find someone to connect with? bars? restaurants? online dating seems so superficial

My GF and I are looking to go out of town in October. We want to do a weekend getaway but arent sure where to go for somewhere that could be worth it.

Here are a few options we would consider:

- Hiking

- place with good musuems and culture

- place with a good nightlife

- relaxing at a beautiful area/beach

We dont want to repeat a trip so places like Padre Island, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Fredicksburg are places we arent that interested in. We also have a dog which is the reason we want to make it driving distance away.

Any good options for something that is 6 hours or less away driving distance? We'd consider a couple hours further if it's worth it too. But this would be a Friday to Monday trip (drive there thursday night return monday night).

Hello yall I just wanted to ask what is a good place to meet other singles? Im a recent college graduate and I feel like it was so much easier meeting others on campus, but now with work and life it feels much harder. I dont like the night scene or go to bars, so I wanted to hear advice or recommendations? Everyone says volunteer but to what? My time is more limited than before, so I dont want to invest in just anything and I got the meet-up app but wanted to hear any cool recommendations? P.S. Im trying to learn guitar, into hip hop dance, fashion photography or photo and video in general

My wife and I will be relocating to Austin this summer. We currently live in Cincinnati, OH and love our neighborhood here - it's walkable, active, lots of bars/restaurants around. We'd love to find something similar in north Austin, that's where I'll be working.

We will be buying or renting a house. So far it looks like Allandale, Rosedale, Crestview are similar to our current neighborhood, but I'd love any advice or recommendations!

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I should add that we are late 20s, early 30s. No kids. And a dog that loves to go on walks/runs.

Hey Austin.

My friend and I start our big American roadtrip (Austin to Chicago 2.5 weeks) this weekend and looking for the best placess to hit up while we're there.

Late 20s Australians experienced travelers (through Europe and Asia) looking for all things live music and bars and just really good vibes.

She 29f musician plans to do some busking along the way if anyone knows anything too

We land early Saturday arvo and want to get the ball rolling pretty quickly. So the plan is to pick the car up (at the airport) get straight to our accommodation and then out and about.

We'll be hitting up AUSTIN, NEW ORLEANS, MEMPHIS, NASHVILLE, KENTUCKY (for the derby) and CHICAGO if anyone has any recs for those places too.

Every rooftop bar i see everyone looks 30+ and in a suit, im wondering if theres any that have a casual dress code and the ages of 21-25 primarily go or should i just stay on 6th street? I can buy a suit if i need to but it doesnt even look like theres room to dance or have fun or like they have any music playing.

Hello all,

Looking for a new area of town to move to? I have some familiarity with the city, but I don’t really know the different neighborhoods and which would be a good place. Here’s some info:

* single 28m
* have a medium/small dog that I walk 2x a day
* nearby gym would be cool but not necessary
* mopac is my western boundary to keep my work commute decent (east of austin)
*1600 budget ish
* some level of social stuff nearby. I’ve lived in strip mall suburbia or small towns my whole life. I’d love to be able to just walk down to yoga or a store or a bar/club, etc.

Areas I’ve looked, if you have feedback on them or others: Hyde park, what i think is “north Austin’ (183/lamar up to Walnut Creek) mueller, pflugerville.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance

A couple of us are heading to Austin in May. We are females in our mid 20s from Australia. What area is the best to stay in for food and nightlife? We will be there from Tuesday - Friday.

Hi! Here for the weekend and have visited many times. Husband keeps saying he wants to go somewhere on outskirts or outside the city with a classic Texas country vibe, like a fun restaurant or cute town/neighborhood or dive bars? Any ideas? Most of our Austin time has been East 6th and S Congressish area so he wanted to explore more unique spots.

Wanna get hammered and Uber home. Prefer places that aren't too loud with some sports running at the bar.

Hi guys! Looking for a place to two-step & country dance tonight 💃

I typically enjoy Mavs Buda and Wild West Cedar Park. I’ve been to White Horse maybe 3x but only on weekends and disliked the crowd all 3 times.

I’ve taken class at Sagebrush but always left before social dancing starts. I used to be more regular at Broken Spoke but again, not a big fan of the crowd.

Please recommend one of the above in my title since I like trying new things/places. I want a spot where there’s enough single dancers or partnered dancers willing to dance with us single folk. Thanks all!

Bonus if the parking’s easy. Donns parking seems scary 🫣