Land west of Austin with a downtown commute
The trade is close to linear: every layer further west buys more land per dollar and adds commute time. West Lake Hills is closest to downtown and most expensive at a $2,734,000 median and $749 per square foot. Lakeway sits further out at $720,000 and $293 per foot. Spicewood and Dripping Springs are further again at $675,000 and $615,000, at $310 and $275 per foot respectively.
The layers, in order
Roughly ordered by distance from downtown along the 360 and 71 corridors.
- West Lake Hills, median $2,734,000 at $749 per square foot, shortest commute
- Barton Creek, median $985,000 at $386 per square foot
- Steiner Ranch, median $824,000 at $292 per square foot
- Lakeway, median $720,000 at $293 per square foot
- Spicewood, median $675,000 at $310 per square foot, longest of these
- Dripping Springs, median $615,000 at $275 per square foot, a different corridor
Price per foot tells the story
West Lake Hills runs $749 per square foot. Dripping Springs runs $275. You are paying almost three times as much per foot for proximity.
What you get further out is land. The house does not get dramatically cheaper to build. The dirt under it does.
Test the drive before you commit
Drive the actual commute at the actual hour, both directions, on a weekday. The 620 and 71 corridors behave very differently at 7:30am than they do on a Sunday tour.
Anyone who skips this step regrets it, and it is the single cheapest piece of due diligence available.
Common questions
How long is the drive from Lakeway to downtown Austin?
It varies widely with time of day and which route you take. Drive it yourself at your actual commute hour before deciding, since peak and off peak are not comparable.
Where do I get the most land for the money?
Of the areas measured, Dripping Springs at $275 per square foot and Spicewood at $310 give the most room per dollar, with Spicewood offering lake proximity that Dripping Springs does not.
Is Spicewood a slower market?
Yes. It averaged 103 days on market against 64 for Austin overall, which reflects larger and more individual properties rather than weak demand.