78747 is the quiet, spacious southeast edge of South Austin, a ZIP code in Austin, Travis County, where the city starts to thin out into something more suburban and semi-rural. It trades walkable restaurants and nightlife for space, parks, and some of the most affordable prices in South Austin, with newer master-planned communities like Goodnight Ranch growing fast alongside established estate neighborhoods around Onion Creek. If you want more house, more land, and a lower price, and you don't mind a slightly longer drive, 78747 is one of the better values on this side of town.
Here's a drive through the southeast Austin area to give you a feel for it:
78747 sits at the far southeast edge of Austin, inside Travis County, south of 78744 and running down toward the Travis and Hays county line near Creedmoor and Mustang Ridge. This is where Austin's sprawl starts to thin out into something more suburban and semi-rural, framed by I-35 to the west and US-183 and the airport to the north and east. Neighboring ZIPs include 78744 to the north and 78748 to the west. Downtown is a bit further from here than the closer-in South Austin ZIPs, which is a big part of why the prices and the lots are what they are.
78747 is for people who want space and value more than walkability. It's quieter and more spread out than the ZIPs closer to town, with a real mix: brand-new master-planned communities, established homes from the 1980s and 1990s, and estate-style neighborhoods with bigger lots. There's not a ton of retail or restaurants right in the ZIP yet, that's honestly part of the trade, but that's also changing as the area grows. If you want a newer or larger home for less, and you're happy to drive a few minutes for dinner, 78747 delivers.
One thing I'll always tell you plainly: there's a landfill out in this part of southeast Austin. It tends to sound worse than it lives, I have clients in Cloverleaf and Turners Crossing who've never raised it as an issue, but you should know it's there. For any specific home, we'll look at how close it actually is and which way the prevailing wind blows before you decide. No surprises.
78747 spans a wide range, which is exactly why the price spread here is so big. Goodnight Ranch is the growth story: a master-planned community that keeps expanding, and a large commercial tract nearby was just purchased, so more is clearly coming. Marble Creek Crossing is the value play, more affordable homes and a lower tax rate than a lot of the newer communities. On the established side, the Onion Creek area brings larger lots and estate-style homes around the country club, and older neighborhoods like Onion Creek Forest, Bluff Springs Estates, Cloverleaf, and Turners Crossing round out the mix. The median sale price recently ran around $385,000, but it swings widely from the affordable new builds up to the larger established homes, so the right number really depends on the community.
Green space is one of the real draws out here. Onion Creek Metropolitan Park offers hiking and walking trails along the creek, and Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park, on the western side, adds hundreds of acres with trails, disc golf, and playing fields. Between the parks and the bigger lots, 78747 is an easy fit if you want room to breathe.
The centerpiece out here is Onion Creek Country Club, a private 27-hole club with a genuinely great course. My wife and I were members for a while and loved walking it together, it's a beautiful layout, though it is members-only. If you want public golf, Roy Kizer and Jimmy Clay are a short drive north in 78744. On the food and coffee front, 78747 is still light on its own spots, so most people run a few minutes north to the growing 78744 scene, Meanwhile Brewing, Radio Coffee East, and the rest, or over to the South Menchaca strip. As the area fills in, expect more to open closer to home.
78747 is split between two districts: the western portions are Austin ISD, and the eastern sections are Del Valle ISD, with charter options like IDEA and Wayside also in the area. Because the line runs through the ZIP, the exact elementary, middle, and high school depend on the specific address, so I always confirm the current assignment for any home before you rely on it. Out here, schools and the district line are one of the first things worth pinning down.
78747's location is the trade-off you make for the space and price. Downtown is generally a 20 to 30 minute drive off-peak using I-35 or US-183, longer at rush hour, and the airport is close by to the northeast. Slaughter Lane, FM 1327, and the I-35 frontage carry most of the local traffic. If you commute daily, it's worth test-driving your route at the hour you'd actually make it.
The median sale price in 78747 is running around $385,000, one of the more affordable parts of South Austin, with a wide spread from new-build value communities up to larger established homes near Onion Creek. There's meaningful new-construction inventory, so builder incentives are common, and communities differ on tax rate (Marble Creek Crossing runs lower than some others), which changes the real monthly cost more than the sticker price does. When you're ready I'll pull live figures and the true monthly number for any specific home.
Whether you're relocating to South Austin or moving across town, I can give you a straight read on 78747, the communities, the school lines, the honest heads-ups, and the real monthly cost with tax districts included. Start with the free South Austin relocation guide, and if you're ready to talk homes, here's what buying or selling here looks like: the South Austin buyer's guide and the South Austin seller's guide. Since 78747 has a lot of new construction, also see new construction in South Austin, and because tax rates vary community to community, the MUD and PID guide is worth a read before you make an offer.
I'm Brandon Holley, Broker and Owner of Holley Homes Realty, and I know this southeast corner well, my wife and I spent time out at Onion Creek, and I work the new communities and the district lines here all the time. With 175+ closings since 2016 across South Austin, Buda, Kyle, and Bastrop, and named a FastExpert 2026 Top Agent, I'll give you a straight read on any street, school, or specific home, including the honest heads-ups most agents skip.
Last updated: September 2026.