Everything is bigger in Texas, and everything is better in San Antonio’s best suburbs. It’s our eleventh time ranking San Antonio’s best suburbs, so you’d better believe we’ve got a system figured out.
Why would anyone want to live in the San Antonio area? We’re glad you asked! People of all ages absolutely love San Antonio’s River Walk, a 15-mile urban waterway that’s the most pleasant way to navigate the city. A walk along the river might end up at the Historic Market Square for a day of Mexican culture, food, and shopping, or howling at the moon after experiencing San Antonio’s epic nightlife. Of course, everyone remembers The Alamo, but even to this day San Antonio is known as Military City USA. Anyone who’s into Tex-Mex and/or BBQ will find plenty to love about San Antonio’s food scene, while kids and kids at heart will be happy to have Six Flags Fiesta Texas in their backyard.
So San Antonio’s great, but what suburbs are ideal for those who want the best the city has to offer without committing to the hustle and bustle of big-city life? Well, there’s a pretty simple geographic cheat sheet, considering that the entirety of the suburbs listed here is north of San Antonio. If the crime of the big city is what you’re trying to escape, then Fair Oaks Ranch, one of the safest places in Texas is your best bet. If you want to live in the wealthiest suburb, look no further than Shavano Park, where you’ll need to earn over $200,000/year to fit in. But if a low cost of living is your primary reason for eschewing the big city, then Schertz is probably right up your alley. And if you just want to live in a place where the economy works for everyone, then the sub-1% unemployment and poverty rates of Hollywood Park are sure to be a big draw.
Saddle up, strap on your Spurs, and get ready to dive into some barbacoa and Big Red, because we’re visiting the best San Antonio suburbs to live in for 2026.
$183,088 median income · $731,192 median home price
Located in
Bexar County, Texas
Alamo Heights is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the San Antonio area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Alamo Heights.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $183,088 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the San Antonio region. And only 2.2% are out of work. Homes average more than $731,192 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$164,583 median income · $920,424 median home price
Shavano Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near San Antonio for 2026.
It ranks 6th for incomes in the area and only 0.7% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$177,353 median income · $691,682 median home price
Here in Garden Ridge, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the San Antonio metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Garden Ridge.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$138,378 median income · $522,446 median home price
Hollywood Park ranks as the 4th best suburb of San Antonio for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Hollywood Park and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$176,500 median income · $936,775 median home price
Coming in as the fifth best is Olmos Park.
Olmos Park gets kudos for having the most expensive homes in the San Antonio area, where houses sell for an average of $936,775. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
$186,400 median income · $883,660 median home price
Terrell Hills is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 4.3%.
According to online reports, Terrell Hills is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the San Antonio area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$174,327 median income · $697,347 median home price
Located in
Kendall County, Texas
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Fair Oaks Ranch.
Fair Oaks Ranch schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 20.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,188 median income · $476,432 median home price
Bulverde is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 5.3% of people lack insurance, good for 7th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$132,675 median income · $462,259 median home price
Located in
Bexar County, Texas
Is ‘Everything Better In Helotes?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$147,390 median income · $289,683 median home price
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is St. Hedwig.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Texas’s statewide median.
Texas statewide median: $78,476
Texas statewide median: $300,957
Texas statewide median: 5.3%
Texas statewide median: 13.8%
On the map
Where the best San Antonio suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around San Antonio for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around San Antonio was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of San Antonio.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 26 suburbs to evaluate around San Antonio.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 26 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near San Antonio.” We’re lookin’ at you, Alamo Heights.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best San Antonio suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best San Antonio Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alamo Heights | 3.79 | 7,492 | $183,088 | $731,192 |
| 2 | Shavano Park | 5.71 | 3,670 | $164,583 | $920,424 |
| 3 | Garden Ridge | 6.07 | 4,332 | $177,353 | $691,682 |
| 4 | Hollywood Park | 6.43 | 3,143 | $138,378 | $522,446 |
| 5 | Olmos Park | 6.64 | 2,115 | $176,500 | $936,775 |
| 6 | Terrell Hills | 8.57 | 5,070 | $186,400 | $883,660 |
| 7 | Fair Oaks Ranch | 9.07 | 10,728 | $174,327 | $697,347 |
| 8 | Bulverde | 9.29 | 6,486 | $112,188 | $476,432 |
| 9 | Helotes | 11.93 | 9,630 | $132,675 | $462,259 |
| 10 | St. Hedwig | 12.57 | 2,313 | $147,390 | $289,683 |
| 11 | Cibolo | 13.00 | 35,109 | $122,365 | $335,092 |
| 12 | Boerne | 13.71 | 20,518 | $84,541 | $554,313 |
| 13 | Schertz | 14.07 | 44,050 | $99,948 | $314,686 |
| 14 | Selma | 14.14 | 11,503 | $97,066 | $289,155 |
| 15 | Windcrest | 14.14 | 5,820 | $89,844 | $309,779 |
| 16 | Live Oak | 14.43 | 15,984 | $79,696 | $247,030 |
| 17 | Castle Hills | 14.43 | 3,943 | $95,391 | $459,173 |
| 18 | Converse | 14.93 | 29,607 | $94,222 | $245,937 |
| 19 | New Braunfels | 15.21 | 104,643 | $86,021 | $350,104 |
| 20 | Castroville | 15.43 | 3,092 | $78,460 | $425,945 |
| 21 | Lytle | 19.29 | 2,492 | $70,685 | $288,602 |
| 22 | Kirby | 20.29 | 8,117 | $55,532 | $174,725 |
| 23 | Leon Valley | 20.43 | 11,446 | $59,481 | $262,385 |
| 24 | Balcones Heights | 21.00 | 2,715 | $29,375 | $206,028 |
| 25 | Somerset | 22.43 | 2,005 | $77,917 | $243,304 |
| 26 | Elmendorf | 24.00 | 2,389 | $51,691 | $231,121 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 26 suburbs within 30 miles of San Antonio.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best San Antonio ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of San Antonio are Alamo Heights, Shavano Park, Garden Ridge, Hollywood Park, Olmos Park, Terrell Hills, Fair Oaks Ranch, Bulverde, Helotes, and St. Hedwig.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like San Antonio but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Texas? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of San Antonio FAQs
What is the best suburb of San Antonio?
Alamo Heights is the best suburb of San Antonio for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Shavano Park and Garden Ridge are next.
What are the best suburbs of San Antonio?
The best suburbs of San Antonio are Alamo Heights, Shavano Park, Garden Ridge, Hollywood Park, Olmos Park, Terrell Hills, Fair Oaks Ranch, Bulverde, Helotes, and St. Hedwig. We ranked all 26 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Alamo Heights?
The median household income in Alamo Heights is $183,088 and the median home costs $731,192. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of San Antonio?
Any place within 30 miles of San Antonio qualifies. 26 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank San Antonio suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Alamo Heights, takes the crown.
