Rollingwood vs. Westwood: Two Low-Tax Enclaves, Two Different Bets
Neighborhood Guide · August 2026
The short answer: both sit in 78746 with Eanes ISD schools and a ten-minute run to downtown, and both carry property tax rates well below what central Austin pays. The difference is what you're buying into. Rollingwood is an established incorporated city with seventy years of history and its own government. Westwood is smaller, quieter, has a lower tax rate still, and has only recently started filling in with luxury new construction. One is settled. One is becoming something.
These two get lumped together as "the Westlake area" and they shouldn't be. They're minutes apart, they share a school district, and they attract the same buyer — who then has to make a genuine choice between an established neighborhood and one still forming. Here's the comparison.
Tour Both With UsCall (512) 608-8811
78746 Same ZIP, Same District Eanes ISD for both | 1955 Rollingwood Incorporated Its own city, with its own services | ~1.45% Westwood Tax Rate Lower still than Rollingwood's — verify current rates | ~10 MIN To Downtown From either, off-peak |
Where They Sit
Rollingwood is an incorporated city of roughly 1,600 people covering about a square mile, south of Bee Caves Road between MoPac and Loop 360, with Zilker Park essentially next door to the east and Barton Creek to the south. It has been its own municipality since 1955, with its own police, fire, EMS and municipal court.
Westwood sits just west of Rollingwood, and it's genuinely small — on the order of two hundred households. Same 78746, same Eanes ISD, same easy run at downtown. It's the quieter of the two and, until recently, the less visible.
From either one you're across the river from central Austin in about ten minutes off-peak. That proximity is most of why both command what they command — you get Eanes schools and hill country topography without the commute that usually comes with them.
Why the tax rates differ: it comes down to which taxing entities apply to your parcel. Rollingwood residents pay a city of Rollingwood levy funding the police, fire and municipal services that come with being an incorporated city. Westwood's combined rate runs lower because its mix of taxing entities is different. Neither is a loophole — you're paying for different bundles of services. The gap is real money on a seven-figure house, and it's worth calculating on the specific properties you're comparing rather than on a neighborhood average.
Side by Side
Factor | Rollingwood | Westwood |
|---|---|---|
Governance | Incorporated city since 1955, with its own police, fire, EMS and court | Not its own municipality — a neighborhood rather than a city |
Scale | About 1,600 residents across roughly a square mile | Around 200 households. Small enough to know your neighbors. |
Housing stock | Established, with a teardown-and-rebuild wave now underway on older blocks | Recently filling in with luxury new construction — the newer product of the two |
Property tax | Lower than central Austin, with a city levy included | Lower still — roughly 1.45% at the time of writing |
Schools | Eanes ISD | Eanes ISD |
Character | Small-town feel, active community, mature landscaping, walkable pockets | Quieter and more residential, with newer construction changing the streetscape |
Inventory | Thin. A small city with few listings at any moment. | Thinner. Two hundred households doesn't generate much turnover. |
Tax rates are set annually by the applicable taxing entities and change year to year. School attendance boundaries are set by Eanes ISD and subject to change. Confirm current rates and school assignment for any specific address before making a decision.
The Real Fork: Established or Forming
Strip away the details and the decision is about what stage of a neighborhood you want to buy into.
Rollingwood is settled. Seventy years of civic history, mature landscaping, an active community, and a clear sense of what the place is. The teardown wave is bringing new construction to older blocks, so it's not frozen — but the character is established and a new build there is inserting itself into something that already exists. You know what you're getting on day one, and so does the next buyer.
Westwood is still forming. The luxury new construction is recent, which means the streetscape is actively changing and the comp set is being written right now. That cuts both ways. If the neighborhood keeps attracting the quality of building it's attracting, early buyers are well positioned. If it stalls, you own a very nice new house among a mixed streetscape for longer than you planned.
Neither is the safer choice in the abstract. Rollingwood's premium is partly a premium for certainty, and you pay it. Westwood's lower tax rate and newer product are partly compensation for a less-settled picture. Which trade suits you depends on your horizon and your appetite.
Running the Tax Math
The rate difference sounds small and isn't. On a seven-figure house, a few tenths of a percent compounds into real annual money — and unlike a mortgage, it never amortizes away.
Two things worth doing rather than assuming. Calculate it on the actual properties, using each parcel's assessed value and the current combined rate for its specific taxing entities. Neighborhood averages hide meaningful variation. And factor the homestead exemption if it'll be your primary residence, since it reduces the school district portion — which in Eanes territory is the largest component of the bill.
Then hold the result against what you're getting. Rollingwood's higher rate funds its own police, fire and EMS, which some buyers value specifically and others never think about. That's a services question as much as a cost question, and reasonable people weigh it differently.
Weighing 78746 against central Austin?
The Davis Agency works both sides of the river — Barton Hills, Zilker, Bouldin and Travis Heights, plus Rollingwood, Westwood and Westlake. The comparison usually comes down to schools against walkability, and it's worth talking through honestly before you tour.
If You're Building or Buying New
Westwood's recent construction activity makes it the more interesting of the two for anyone who wants a new house rather than a renovated one, and there are a few things worth knowing.
The comp set is thin. A small neighborhood with recent new construction means few comparable sales, which makes both pricing and appraisal less predictable. Texas being a non-disclosure state compounds it, since sale prices aren't public record and appraisers depend on MLS data. That's a real consideration on a new build here.
Development rules differ from Austin's. The cover and floor-area limits that govern 78704 are City of Austin rules. Building in 78746 means a different regulatory picture depending on the specific jurisdiction your parcel sits in, and it's worth confirming early rather than assuming your Austin experience transfers.
Topography still applies. This is hill country. Slope, drainage, tree protection and site access shape what a build costs here just as they do in Barton Hills, and the same discipline applies — survey and feasibility before design, not after.
Who Each One Suits
Rollingwood fits buyers who want an established community with civic identity, who value the proximity to Zilker and downtown, and who are comfortable paying a premium for a neighborhood whose character is already determined. Families who want Eanes schools with the shortest possible commute tend to land here.
Westwood fits buyers who want newer construction, the lowest tax rate of the comparison, and a quieter street — and who are comfortable being relatively early in a neighborhood that's still taking shape. It also fits buyers who looked at Rollingwood, liked everything about it except the price, and hadn't realized there was an alternative two minutes west.
That last group is larger than you'd think. Westwood's small size means it simply doesn't appear in a lot of searches, and buyers who've been looking at 78746 for months are frequently surprised to learn it exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Westwood in Austin?
Westwood is a small neighborhood in West Austin's 78746 ZIP code, just west of Rollingwood and within the Eanes ISD attendance area. It's on the order of two hundred households, making it one of the smaller named neighborhoods in the area, and it has recently seen increased luxury new construction activity.
Is Rollingwood its own city?
Yes. Rollingwood has been an incorporated municipality since 1955, with its own police, fire, EMS and municipal court, covering roughly a square mile with about 1,600 residents. That's the main structural difference from neighboring unincorporated areas, and it's reflected in the property tax rate — Rollingwood residents pay a city levy that funds those services.
Why are property taxes lower in 78746 than central Austin?
Because the combination of taxing entities is different. Property tax bills are the sum of rates levied by the county, school district, city or municipal utility district, and other special districts, and which of those apply depends on where the parcel sits. Rates are set annually and vary between neighborhoods within 78746 itself, so confirm the current combined rate for a specific address rather than relying on an area average.
Do Rollingwood and Westwood go to the same schools?
Both are within Eanes ISD, which is the primary reason buyers look at either. Specific campus assignment is determined by address and set by the district, and boundaries can change, so verify the assignment for any particular property with Eanes ISD directly rather than assuming based on the neighborhood.
Related Reading from The Davis Agency
→ Westlake vs. Barton Hills for Luxury Buyers
→ Zilker Schools: What Families Actually Need to Know
Looking at 78746?
Inventory in both of these is thin enough that knowing what's coming matters as much as knowing what's listed. The Davis Agency works 78746 alongside central Austin and can tell you how the two sides of the river actually compare for your situation.
Start the ConversationCall (512) 608-8811
Derrik Davis · Broker/Owner, The Davis Agency · CLHMS Certified · TREC License #558841 · Serving 78704, 78746 and the greater Austin luxury market since 2006. Property tax rates are set annually by the applicable taxing entities and are subject to change. School attendance zones are set by the district. Confirm current rates, boundaries and jurisdiction for any specific property before making a decision.
