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

I don't think most of the new homes being built in Louisiana and Texas are necessarily nicer. A lot of them lack character and the builders took shortcuts. Not to mention these new homes are stacked on top of each other. You can update a home but you can't put it on a better yard.

That's just a matter of opinion, of course.