Best Places78226, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78226, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
78226 ranks 31,840th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 78226
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
78226's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78226 ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 99% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 89% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 78226 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$34,833 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78226
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78226 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $34,833; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 78226's effective rate of 1.41%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78226
78226's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78226.
Who works in 78226, and how
Work in 78226 centers on construction and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 16%
Life in 78226
78226 has more parkland per resident than 96% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 78226 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 78226, month by month
78226 sees roughly 141 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 53° | 42° |
| April | 83° | 71° | 61° |
| July | 97° | 85° | 75° |
| October | 85° | 72° | 62° |
Flying in and out of 78226
San Antonio International sits about 11 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.3 million passengers in 2025, with 87 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 78226
Schools across 78226 average a D−, better than 5% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- George E Kelly ElD− · 15% proficient
- Columbia Heights ElD− · 12% proficient
- Compass Rose IngenuityD− · 12% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dwight MiddleD− · 18% proficient
- Brentwood MiddleD− · 14% proficient
- Lowell MiddleF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- John F Kennedy H SD− · 17% proficient
- Burbank H SD− · 17% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78226 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78226 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 78226 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78226
Is 78226 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78226 ranks 31,840th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cell coverage, transit, and low taxes, and lowest on education levels and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78226 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $129,782. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $34,833 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 78226 safe?
78226 is safer than 16% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $590 per resident a year.
Compare 78226 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78226. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78226 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
78226 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78226: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78226: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78226: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78226: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78226 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.