What Are the Best Cities to Buy a Home in Texas Right Now?

Texas is a big state. The right city for one buyer's life is not the right city for another. But when you look at the data on job growth, population stability, school quality, quality of life, and real estate value, certain markets stand out — and the Hill Country region stands out in particular.

Where the Texas Market Is in 2026

According to Texas A&M's Texas Real Estate Research Center, the 2026 Texas housing market opened with rising seller activity, elevated inventory, and modest pricing pressure as affordability challenges continue to shape buyer demand. With approximately five months of statewide supply as of Q1 2026, the market is shifting toward a more balanced environment. Statewide, the three most active markets by closed sales in Q1 2026 were Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (19,310 sales), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (18,371 sales), and San Antonio-New Braunfels (7,357 sales), according to data cited by Ramsey Solutions.

San Antonio and the Hill Country Suburbs

The greater San Antonio metro, which includes Boerne, Fair Oaks Ranch, Kendall County, Helotes, Bulverde, and New Braunfels, continues to attract consistent buyer demand. The average Zillow home value for Texas was approximately $306,682 as of early 2026, down 2.2% year over year statewide. But suburban Hill Country markets like Boerne have maintained stronger pricing floors than major urban cores, driven by top-rated school districts, lower crime, larger lot sizes, and proximity to San Antonio without the density of city living.

Texas added 132,500 jobs in 2025, outpacing the national average. The Dallas Fed projects 1.1% employment growth in 2026, representing approximately 155,000 new jobs, led by construction, healthcare, data centers, AI, and transportation sectors. San Antonio's employment base — heavily diversified across military, healthcare, financial services, and tourism — continues to support sustained housing demand in its suburbs.

Why the Texas Hill Country Is Drawing Out-of-State Buyers

Texas ranked fourth in the nation for population growth from July 2024 to July 2025, adding 391,243 new residents in a single year to reach a state population of 31.7 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The biggest domestic migration corridor into Texas remains California, followed by Illinois, New York, and Michigan. These buyers are drawn to a combination of no state income tax, a lower cost of living relative to coastal metros, and a quality of life in communities like Boerne that is genuinely difficult to replicate.

Boerne specifically has grown from a population of 18,084 in the 2020 Census to an estimated 25,209 in 2026, an increase of 39.4%, according to World Population Review. That pace of growth reflects real demand — families choosing to put roots down in a community with top-rated Boerne ISD schools, access to the Texas Hill Country outdoors, and proximity to San Antonio's economic engine.

What to Look for in Any Texas Market

Regardless of which Texas city or suburb you are evaluating, the fundamentals that protect long-term value are consistent: a strong local school district, employer diversity in the metro, available land for growth without overbuilding, and a community identity that keeps people from wanting to leave. Markets that check all four tend to perform well across market cycles. The Boerne and greater Kendall County area checks all four.

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