News and data reports that high prices are driving Austin home buyers from the urban core tend to be met with a "well, duh" response; it's common sense that people buy homes where they can afford them (if they can afford them at all, that is).
There's more to it than that, though. This addictive set of interactive graphs by real estate brokerage Redfin—which breaks down sales prices by distance from the city core in a highly clickable manner—demonstrates how rapid that change has been.
In the past five years, for instance, the median price per foot of central city homes has increased 77%, compared to 41% in the metro area. A second chart indicates a disparity between the median price of central and metro area homes that seem a tad sharp. Median sale price for 2015 in downtown's 78701 ZIP code was $475,000 at $492 per square foot. San Marcos' median prices were $215,000 and $116 per square foot, while Round Rock's were $192,000 and $109 per square foot.