small town life

San Antonio neighbor is the No. 1 best Texas suburb for house renters

Bulverde is known as "The Front Porch of the Texas Hill Country."

For single-family home renters, finding the right suburb to live in around San Antonio can be a complicated process. But one Alamo City neighbor has come out on top as the No. 1 best best suburb for house renters in Texas: Bulverde, a small town about 22 miles north of the city.

This crowning achievement was awarded in online real estate marketplace Point2Homes' new study, "Top Texas Suburbs for House Renters." The report compared suburbs within a 20-mile radius (or 30-mile driving distance) from Texas' five largest cities — San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth — based on 12 metrics, including a suburb's cost of living, share of single-family rental listings, five-year renter income growth, and more.

Joining Bulverde in the top five are two Houston suburbs — Iowa Colony (No. 2) and West University Place (No. 4) — and the Austin-area suburbs of Hutto (No. 3) and Lakeway (No. 5).

Lovingly known as "The Front Porch of the Texas Hill Country," Bulverde has an estimated population of nearly 7,000 residents as of 2023. The suburb has the second-lowest population density out of all 126 Texas cities mentioned in the report.

Out of Bulverde's entire renter population, Point2Homes found 76.4 percent of renters are residing in single-family homes, and there are 184 single-family home listings available to rent per 1,000 renter households.

The median household income for single-family home renters is $83,737, the report said, which has declined 38.3 percent over the last five years, while the population grew 15.6 percent within the same period. The cost of living in the city is nearly 10 percent higher than the statewide median cost of living.

Other factors that contributed to Bulverde's No. 1 ranking were its residents' average commute time (38.7 minutes) and the share of the population aged 25 and older that have "higher education" degrees (38.1 percent). But the study points out that the "secret ingredient" that helped boost Bulverde to the top as the best market for single-family renters is the city's extremely low (0.5 percent) unemployment rate.

"That’s especially important because financial stability is crucial in meeting rent obligations and affording better and more desirable rental properties," the report said.

Residents also benefit from living in a quiet, close-knit community that has many outdoor recreational activities for families.

"[T]he true allure of renting a house in Bulverde is its picturesque rolling hills and vast green spaces," the report said. "Boasting a mild climate and an average of 300 sunny days a year, it’s perfect for outdoor enthusiasts — so much so that the place is a Certified Scenic City, making the community an officially great choice for those who appreciate outdoor beauty, tranquility, and convenience."

In 2022, Bulverde also passed a Dark Sky Outdoor Lighting Ordinance, which ensures that light pollution is kept at bay. This is good for nature as well as stargazing.

Other top San Antonio Suburbs for house renters in 2024
Cibolo also appeared in the top 10 best Texas suburbs for single-family home renters, ranking No. 7. The city is located 23 miles northeast of San Antonio, and boasts an estimated population of more than 37,000 residents as of 2023, which has ballooned 22.7 percent over the last five years.

The median household income of single-family renters in Cibolo is $93,759, and the city's income level has grown 19.6 percent in the last five years. Like Bulverde, a vast majority of renters in Cibolo (87.9 percent) are single-family home renters.

Cibolo is the No. 7 best suburb in Texas for single-family home renters.City of Cibolo - Facebook

Here's how Point2Homes broke down Cibolo's ranking in the remaining eight metrics in the study:

53.9 – Single-family rental listings per 1,000 renter households
+49.6 percent – Cost of living compared to state median
6.1 – Median number of all rooms in a renter household
15.6 percent – Share of renters out of the entire population
1,555 – Population density
31.3 minutes – Average commute time
38.8 percent – Share of the population 25 years and older with higher education degrees
5.7 percent – Unemployment rate

According to the City of Cibolo website, the community is "awakening to the challenges of the future" as a result of recent business relocations to the area, and the city's close proximity to Randolph Air Force Base.

"In fact, the housing industry has been booming in Cibolo for several years and has become a charming city that, despite those points of growth, still provides a 'country-style' way of life," the website says.

Other San Antonio-area suburbs that earned spots among the top 100 best Texas suburbs for single-family home renters include:

No. 16 – Selma
No. 23 – Boerne
No. 32 – Converse
No. 42 – New Braunfels
No. 49 – Kirby
No. 57 – Live Oak
No. 60 – Timberwood Park
No. 69 – Fair Oaks Ranch
No. 76 – Schertz

The full report and its methodology can be found on point2homes.com.

suburbs quality of life nature renting

bang for your buck

San Antonio ZIP code is 4th most affordable place for renters in U.S.

Photo by Florian Schmid on Unsplash

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Trying to afford buying a home in San Antonio is difficult enough with current mortgage rates, and doubly so if you're already paying high rent on an apartment or a house. But there are six San Antonio ZIP codes where renters can get the most bang for their buck, according to a new study by financial services company CashNetUSA.

To find the most affordable ZIP codes for renters in the U.S., analysts compared median household incomes by ZIP code to the average annual rent costs in those areas using the Zillow Observed Rent Index. ZIP codes where the average annual rental constituted the lowest percentage of median household income were considered the "most affordable."

San Antonio's 78248 ZIP code specifically stood out as the No. 4 most affordable in the country, and the No. 1 most affordable in Texas. This area encompasses the north San Antonio neighborhoods of Inwood, Forests at Inwood, Oakwood, The Park at Deerfield, Canyon Creek Bluffs, Canyon Creek Village, Blanco Village, Deerfield, Cadillac Drive, and Churchill Estates.

According to the study's findings, the average monthly cost of a rental in 78248 comes out to $1,259.17, and the median annual income of a household in the area is $122,986. Analysts then calculated that the annual rent of a home in this ZIP code only takes up 12.29 percent of a household's median income, which is the fourth-lowest in the nation.

CashNetUSA found the No. 1 most affordable ZIP code for renters nationwide is 66224 in Leawood, Kansas, where annual rent only takes a 10.57 percent cut out of a household's median annual income.

Elsewhere in Texas, two Houston-area ZIP codes – 77401 and 77094 – ranked No. 9 and No. 12 nationally, while Allen's 75013 ZIP code fell two spots behind to claim the No. 14 spot.

The most affordable San Antonio-area ZIP codes for renters
CashNetUSA further unveiled the five most affordable ZIP codes across major U.S. cities, including in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston.

Following 78248 (which took the No. 1 spot citywide) is 78261 (No. 2), which spans east of Highway 281, across Smithson Valley Road. Rent costs in this ZIP code averaged out to $1,698 per month, the report found.

Landing in the No. 3 spot is 78258, which includes Rogers Ranch, The Vineyard, Stone Oak, Summit, Hidden Canyon, and Big Springs neighborhoods. The report said average rent in the area comes out to $1,507 per month, which takes up 17.54 percent of a household's median annual income.

The remaining top two most affordable ZIP codes for San Antonio renters are located in 78259 (Encino Park, Encino Ranch, Cavalo Creek Estates, Northwood Hills, Summit at Bulverde Creek, Roseheart, Redland Woods) and 78260 in Timberwood Park, which is about 25 miles north of downtown San Antonio.

rent rent prices affordable housing