The Complete South Austin Home Guide · Free PDF
Thinking about moving to South Austin?
Everything you need to know about living, buying, and settling in South Austin, Texas, one honest, local guide to all five ZIP codes.
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The straight answer
Which South Austin ZIP is right for you?
South Austin isn't one place, it's five ZIP-cities that live very differently. The same budget buys an established, tree-lined resale in one and a brand-new master-planned home in another, and the ZIP line decides your schools, your commute, and whether you're in a MUD or PID that changes the monthly math. Here they are side by side, then a one-line read on who each one fits.
The five ZIP-cities, side by side
| ZIP | The feel | Typical price | Schools | Tax feel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78744 | The new-construction frontier (Easton Park, airport corridor) | High $300s to low $400s | Austin ISD and Del Valle ISD (splits by address) | Widest spread: no-MUD resale to high-MUD Easton Park |
| 78745 | The established middle, close-in, mature trees, mostly resale | High $400s to about $500K | Austin ISD (mostly Crockett) | Simple, no MUD or PID, about 2.03% |
| 78747 | The quiet southeast, the value corner and most new construction | High $300s | Austin ISD and Del Valle ISD (splits by address) | Varies: no-district resale about 2%, Goodnight Ranch adds a PID |
| 78748 | The tree-lined heart, mature and family-friendly (where I live) | Low to mid $400s | Austin ISD (Akins; Bauerle Ranch and part of Shady Hollow feed Bowie) | Simple, no MUD or PID, about 2.03% |
| 78749 | Southwest premium and Oak Hill, hills, top schools, tightest market | High $500s to low $600s | Austin ISD (Bowie, the strongest zone in the guide) | Simple, no MUD or PID, about 2% |
Tax rates are before your homestead exemption (including the $140,000 Texas school-district exemption for owner-occupants). The biggest swing is whether a specific home sits in a MUD or PID, which mainly matters in 78744 and 78747. Always check the exact lot.
The one-line read on each ZIP
78744
The most new construction and change, led by Easton Park, and among the closest ZIPs to the airport. Best for a brand-new home with negotiating room.
78745
The closest-in of the five, classic South Austin character near South Lamar, with the cleanest tax math. Best for location, trees, and transit access.
78747
The value corner and the only balanced market, with the deepest lineup of affordable new construction. Best for space, value, and buyer leverage.
78748
Mature, tree-lined, and fast-moving, mostly resale with a few new pockets. Best for family-friendly value per tree (it's where I live and work).
78749
The southwest premium around Oak Hill and Circle C, anchored by the strongest schools of the five (Bowie). Best if schools and setting come first.
Beyond the listings
What it's actually like to live in South Austin
Zillow shows you prices and Google Maps shows you distances. Neither tells you what it feels like to live in 78745 versus 78749, or where this side of town is headed. Here's the honest picture on the things that decide a move: what's being built, how the tax math really works, the commute, how much the exact address drives your schools, and the checklist for landing here from out of state.
Start with a look at what's coming to South Austin (78748 and 78744) by 2030:
What's being built in South Austin
Growth headlines are everywhere down here, but not all of them are equal. Some projects are funded and under construction, others are approved but paused or still years out, and only the funded ones should factor into what you pay today. Here's the honest split:
- The Oak Hill Parkway. The long-awaited rebuild of the US 290 / SH-71 "Y" at Oak Hill, one of the region's worst chokepoints, is wrapping up, a genuine daily-life upgrade for 78749 and the southwest side.
- Austin-Bergstrom airport expansion. The airport is expanding and adding thousands of jobs just up the road, a big part of the demand in 78744 and 78747, the two ZIPs closest to it.
- Easton Park's build-out (78744). A roughly 2,200-acre master plan for about 14,300 homes, only partway built, so new phases, amenities, and an on-site elementary keep coming.
- Approved but not bankable yet. The I-35 Capital Express "caps" through central Austin and the Brodie Oaks redevelopment are approved or proposed but paused or years out. Promising, not something to pay a premium for today.
How I read the growth for you: the Oak Hill Parkway and the airport are the sure things; the I-35 caps and Brodie Oaks are the maybes. When a sales office uses "coming soon" to justify a price, I check which list it's actually on, funded and building, or approved and hopeful, so you're buying on reality, not a rendering.
The tax reality, and why the ZIP matters
This is the thing out-of-state buyers get surprised by most. Three of the five ZIPs (78745, 78748, and 78749) keep it simple: all City of Austin, Travis County, and Austin ISD, no MUD and no PID, right around 2.03%. The other two are where it gets interesting. 78744 has the widest tax spread of any ZIP in the guide because it holds both no-district established resale and Easton Park's higher-rate MUD sections (Pilot Knob), where the difference can run about $260 to $320 a month on the same-priced home. And 78747 varies by community: no-district resale and Marble Creek Crossing land near 2%, while Goodnight Ranch adds a PID on top of the Austin ISD stack.
So the "cheaper" home a mile away can actually cost more each month once the district is in the math. Before you fall for a floor plan, I pull the certified rate and every overlapping district for the exact lot and show you the real monthly number. My MUD & PID guide walks through how to check any address, and Texas has no state income tax, which for many relocators offsets a good deal of the property tax.
The commute, ZIP by ZIP
Miles never tell the whole story in Central Texas; the hour you drive matters more than the distance. 78745 is the closest-in, about 12 to 20 minutes to downtown with the best transit coverage of the five. 78748 and 78749 sit farther south and west, so downtown is a longer haul but 78749 is well-connected to MoPac and US 290 (and the new Oak Hill Parkway helps). 78744 and 78747 trade downtown proximity for being among the closest to the airport, with the SH-45 and SH-130 tollways as their secret weapon for getting north without touching Austin traffic. Whichever ZIP you're weighing, I test-drive your actual route at the hour you'd really be driving, at 7:30 on a Tuesday, not noon on a Saturday, before you make an offer.
A quick word on schools: buy the campus, not the district
This is the single most important thing to understand in South Austin. Three ZIPs (78745, 78748, 78749) are entirely Austin ISD, while 78744 and 78747 straddle two districts, Austin ISD and Del Valle ISD, and which one you land in depends entirely on the exact address. Two homes a mile apart can feed campuses with a wide proficiency gap between them. The strongest zone in the guide is 78749, which feeds Bowie High and top elementaries like Mills and Kiker, and parts of 78748 (Bauerle Ranch, part of Shady Hollow) feed Bowie too, which is a real price driver. Both districts are actively redrawing boundaries (Austin ISD is closing Paredes Middle), so I verify the current zoning for the exact address before you write an offer. For the district-level detail, see my Central Texas school districts guide.
Go deeper on the ZIP you're leaning toward
Each ZIP has its own honest, local living guide, the neighborhoods, new construction, schools, commute, and tax reality block by block:
Living in 78744The new-construction frontier
Living in 78745The established middle
Living in 78747The quiet southeast
Living in 78748The tree-lined heart
Living in 78749Southwest premium and Oak Hill
New to Texas? Your South Austin move-in checklist
If you're relocating from out of state, Texas gives you deadlines. Here they are in the order that saves you a second trip:
- No state income tax. It's constitutionally banned in Texas, so weigh that saving against the property tax before you judge either in isolation.
- Register your vehicle. Get Texas auto insurance first, then visit the Travis County Tax Office with your title and Form 130-U (roughly $145 in fees plus the $90 new-resident tax).
- Get your Texas driver license. Book a DPS appointment online first; walk-ins wait. Bring proof of residency, your closing documents work.
- File your homestead exemption. Free, online, with the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD), and prorated from your move-in date, so don't wait for January. Your license address must match the property first, and never pay anyone to file it for you.
- Know the weather. Summers bring 15 to 40-plus days over 100 degrees, winters bring a hard freeze most years (insulate your pipes), and hail is the region's real insurance driver, so a hail-resistant roof can lower your premium.
Vehicle and registration fees, tax rates, prices, school zoning, and project timelines change; verify current figures before you rely on them.
What's inside
The whole picture, one section at a time
01
Why South Austin
South Austin mapped simply, and what the market looks like today.
02
The Five ZIP-Cities
78744, 78745, 78747, 78748, and 78749, each treated as its own small city.
03
New Construction
Where the building is happening now, and what's funded vs. still on the horizon.
04
The Schools
Which districts and schools serve which ZIP, and who goes to school where.
05
The Commute
Honest, real-world drive times to downtown from each ZIP code.
06
Know Your Numbers
Cost of living and the tax math, worked out ZIP by ZIP, the full monthly picture.
07
Life in South Austin
Parks, the greenbelt, healthcare, and getting settled once you land.
08
The Decision
Which ZIP fits you, and what buying in South Austin actually looks like.
Five ZIP codes, five very different places
In South Austin, the ZIP code you pick changes everything
- ✓78744, The New-Construction Frontier: where much of the new building is happening.
- ✓78745, The Established Middle: central, classic South Austin character and walkable pockets.
- ✓78747, The Quiet Southeast: more space and value, a little further out.
- ✓78748, The Tree-Lined Heart: established, tree-lined streets (and where I live).
- ✓78749, Southwest Premium & Oak Hill: the higher-end southwest edge toward Oak Hill.
One decision lens to keep with you
"Buy for the life you live Monday through Friday, not the life you imagine on a Saturday morning."
From The Complete South Austin Home Guide
175+
Closed deals
Since 2016
Serving Central Texas
78748
Where I live & work
Free
No-obligation guidance
What clients say
People who trusted the process
★★★★★
"From the moment we spotted the 'For Sale' sign on our dream property to closing day, Brandon was incredible. He tackled every challenge with solutions, made sure we understood each step, and always kept things moving. Everyone was aligned to make the deal happen, and they delivered. Highly recommend!"
B
Blake Stowe
Bought his dream home · Google review
★★★★★
"I worked with Brandon for the second time and can't recommend him enough! From start to finish he's friendly, helpful, and responsive, he made the whole process smooth and stress-free, kept me updated, and even followed up afterward to make sure I settled in. If you want a realtor who genuinely cares, Brandon is the one!"
H
Hannah Ahart
Repeat client · Google review
★★★★★
"As first-time homebuyers deciding on a new build, we're so fortunate to have had Brandon. He always knew what to ask the builder, even when we had no idea what to ask, checked in regularly, and handled all the details so we felt supported the whole way. Can't recommend him highly enough!"
M
Megan McLane
First-time / new-build buyer · Google review
Your local expert
Meet Brandon Holley
Broker / Owner · Holley Homes Realty
South Austin is close to my heart. It's where I live, in 78748, and a market I know block by block. Across 175+ closed deals since 2016, I've watched this side of town go from established, tree-lined neighborhoods to one of the fastest-building, most talked-about corners of the region, where five ZIP codes each live very differently.
This guide is everything I'd tell you if you were sitting across from me, trying to figure out which South Austin ZIP is your next home.
"My job is to make this feel clear, not complicated. No pressure, just good information so you can decide what's right for you."
Common questions
Moving to South Austin: quick answers
Is South Austin a good place to live?+
For many buyers, yes. South Austin pairs established, tree-lined neighborhoods with some of the fastest-building new areas in the region, plus easy access to downtown, the greenbelt, and parks. But each ZIP lives very differently, so the guide walks you through which one fits you.
What ZIP codes count as South Austin?+
The guide focuses on the five core South Austin ZIPs: 78744, 78745, 78747, 78748, and 78749. Each is treated as its own small city, with its own feel, price range, new construction, schools, and commute.
What school district is South Austin in?+
It depends on the exact address. 78745, 78748, and 78749 are entirely Austin ISD, while 78744 and 78747 straddle Austin ISD and Del Valle ISD depending on the neighborhood. Because two homes a mile apart can feed very different campuses, the guide (and I) verify the zoning by exact address.
How much do homes cost in South Austin?+
It varies a lot by ZIP as of 2026: 78747 is the value corner in the high $300s, 78744 runs high $300s to low $400s, 78748 lands in the low-to-mid $400s, 78745 sits in the high $400s toward $500K, and 78749 is the priciest at high $500s into the low $600s. Prices move with the market, so confirm current comps for a specific ZIP and price band.
What are property taxes like in South Austin?+
Three of the five ZIPs (78745, 78748, 78749) are simple: City of Austin, Travis County, and Austin ISD with no MUD or PID, right around 2.03%. The other two vary: 78744 ranges from no-district resale up to Easton Park's higher-rate MUD sections, and 78747 depends on the community (Goodnight Ranch carries a PID). Your homestead exemption lowers the taxable value, and I pull the certified rate for the exact lot before you offer.
Which South Austin ZIP has the best schools?+
78749 is the strongest school zone of the five, feeding Bowie High and top-rated elementaries like Mills and Kiker, which is a big part of its premium. Parts of 78748 (Bauerle Ranch and some of Shady Hollow) also feed Bowie. In the two-district ZIPs (78744 and 78747), the campus depends heavily on the exact address, so it's worth verifying zoning before you buy for a specific school.
Is South Austin growing, and what's being built there?+
Yes. The funded, under-construction projects are the Oak Hill Parkway rebuild of the US 290 / SH-71 "Y" and the Austin-Bergstrom airport expansion, plus the ongoing build-out of Easton Park in 78744. Bigger items like the I-35 Capital Express caps and the Brodie Oaks redevelopment are approved or proposed but paused or years out, so treat those as promising rather than something to pay a premium for today.
How far is South Austin from downtown?+
It depends on the ZIP. 78745 is the closest-in at about 12 to 20 minutes and has the best transit coverage; 78748 and 78749 are farther south and west, so downtown is a longer haul (though 78749 is well-connected via MoPac and US 290); and 78744 and 78747 trade downtown proximity for being among the closest to the airport. I test-drive your actual route at your real commute hour before you make an offer.
Is this guide really free?+
Yes, completely free and no obligation. Enter your name and email and the PDF is sent to you right away. It's simply the best way I know to be helpful before you ever decide whether to work with me.