San Antonio, TX vs Austin, TX
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Austin, TX spends 29% more per resident than San Antonio, TX: $21,772 against $16,943. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Austin, TX edges San Antonio, TX on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 75/100 (grade B) to 68/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Austin, TX carries the lighter load at $1,229 per resident versus $2,131 for San Antonio, TX. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in San Antonio, TX at $1,045 per resident and in Austin, TX at $1,801.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 17% of total revenue in San Antonio, TX and 18% in Austin, TX.
Summary
Austin spends 22.2% more per capita than San Antonio ($4,829/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $9 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $293 | $526 |
| Income Tax | $1,000 | $1,465 |
| Intergovernmental | $14,312 | $14,031 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,025 | $3,247 |
| Other | $3,184 | $5,645 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $396 | $634 |
| Highways & Roads | $158 | $0 |
| Education | $23 | $51 |
| Public Welfare | $1,188 | $1,837 |
| Health | $293 | $517 |
| Hospitals | $993 | $664 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,045 | $1,801 |
| Housing | $3,570 | $3,741 |
| Sewerage | $100 | $865 |
| Utilities | $3,826 | $3,264 |
| Other | $5,352 | $8,399 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.