Those looking for a home in the expensive Austin area, could save money by buying a home just outside of the Austin area and commuting to the city.

KVUE News reports that home prices in all of the 12 counties around the Austin area have risen in 2021, but homeownership is less expensive outside of Austin.

According to Real estate company Zillow, the median cost of homes in Austin reached $579,595 in July and are up nearly 40% since the beginning of the year. The company also found median home prices in the $200,000 range in nearby regions Lockhart, Giddings, Elgin, Burnet, La Grange and Smithville.

“Austin home prices rose 29.9% year-over-year in June,” Harbor Custom Development Inc. wrote in an Aug. 11 Twitter post.

An affordability analysis report by Zillow shows that Austin is currently the seventh least affordable city in the U.S. and is projected to become the most expensive metropolitan city outside of California by the end of the year, according to KVUE News. Amidst the housing crisis, Austin city council members allocated around $79 million toward affordable housing.

Policy changes and funding will not make a significant impact on Austin's trend of rising housing costs by the end of 2021, but it is expected to ease the situation, according to KXAN News.