re: Why does a big home 20 mi from downtown Austin cost as much as one 20 mi from..

LOL you must not know any realtors.

Austin would suck on that budget. You have to live in the central city because the highway system was deliberately sabotaged by the city council in the 90s and 2000s to discourage growth because they thought "if you don't build it, they won't come"... but they came anyway. If you live central though, it's great. You don't have to bother with MoPac, 360, or 35 and so you don't notice the highway system sucks. Otherwise I think it would be hellish to live here. The "highways" are THAT bad.

You can get a nice 3/1, 2/2, 2/1, maaybe a 3/2 in the central city for $550,000, but it's going to be about 1,400 SF, not 2,700, lol that's a mansion.