Even on the area’s higher pay, Briarcliff costs more to live in than 83% of U.S. towns
Builders were permitted 4 new homes in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area ($100K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Briarcliff’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($100K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 18% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 37% of renters.
In dollars
- $1,760a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 98prices across the Austin metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 120)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 5.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$100K, Austin-area income
- 32%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Briarcliff
What’s behind Briarcliff’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Briarcliff is more affordable than 17% of U.S. towns. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
A typical home costs 5.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Briarcliff’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $171K short of a typical Briarcliff home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,760 a month here, $1,620 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Briarcliff’s typical property tax (1.07% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,760
Renters already here pay a median of $2,718.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
4 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 4 new homes in Briarcliff in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.2 million to build. That's 1.5 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Texas (8.1).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 15 | 3 | 12 | $2.6 million |
| 2025 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Briarcliff's permit office reported 10 of 12 months in 2025; the Census estimated the rest.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $5,907 (Texas: $4,232), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 1.07% a year, against 1.49% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Briarcliff
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area, or Texas. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 98 | TX 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | TX 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 82 | TX 88 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 96 | TX 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Briarcliff and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briarcliff | C− | — | $551K | 1.07% | $1,760 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Briarcliff
Is Briarcliff expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Briarcliff costs more than 83% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living. The typical home costs 5.5 years of the median household income of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area ($100K).
How much is rent in Briarcliff?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,760 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,718 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Briarcliff?
The median bill is $5,907 a year, 1.07% of the median home value (Texas: $4,232, 1.49%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Briarcliff buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.