Canyon Lake vs San Marcos
Canyon Lake, Texas versus San Marcos, Texas: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Canyon Lake edges out San Marcos on overall objective livability (47 vs 43 of 100), though each leads on different factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Canyon Lake | San Marcos |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $91k | $47k |
| Cost of Living | $51k | $54k |
| Home Value | $313k | $248k |
| Monthly Rent | $1k | $1k |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $2k | $2k |
| Property Tax Rate | 1.03% | 1.68% |
| Income Tax | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Sales Tax | 8.20% | 8.20% |
| Estimated total tax burden | 6.25% | 11.49% |
| Unemployment | 3.0% | 6.8% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 52°F | 52°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 85°F | 85°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 37.4 in | 36.3 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sunny Days | 195 days | 195 days |
| Summer Humidity | 70°F | 70°F |
| Comfortable Days | 101 days | 94 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 88.8 | 58.4 |
| Air Quality | 40 AQI | 48 AQI |
| School Quality | 41.3 | 43.4 |
| Violent Crime | 818/100k | 2211/100k |
| Property Crime | 1195/100k | 2614/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 32,035 | 67,143 |
| Median Age | 47.1 | 25.2 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.31 | 0.52 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 1.01 | 0.91 |
| Political Leaning | R+43 | D+11 |
| White (%) | 70.9% | 44.9% |
| Black (%) | 2.2% | 5.7% |
| Hispanic (%) | 21.4% | 41.9% |
| Asian (%) | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 5.0% | 5.3% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Commute Time | 39 min | 24 min |
| Walkability | 6.1/20 | 8.5/20 |
| Airport Distance | 27 mi | 28 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 92.5% | 84.8% |
| Amenities Nearby | 6.87 | 23.09 |
| Park & Nature Access | Good | Excellent |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Canyon Lake or San Marcos more affordable?
- Canyon Lake has the lower cost of living: its index is $51k, compared with Canyon Lake's $51k and San Marcos's $54k. Median rent is $1k in Canyon Lake versus $1k in San Marcos.
- Is Canyon Lake or San Marcos safer?
- Canyon Lake has the lower violent crime rate. Canyon Lake reports 818/100k and San Marcos reports 2211/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
- Are homes cheaper in Canyon Lake or San Marcos?
- The median home value is $313k in Canyon Lake and $248k in San Marcos, so homes are more affordable in San Marcos.