Best Places78838, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 78838, 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.
78838 ranks 20,713th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 78838
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.
78838's strengths and weaknesses
Where 78838 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 189 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$604 a month, better than 84% of zip codes
Where 78838 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Short commute36.0 minutes each way, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 78838
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 78838 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $80,453, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 78838's effective rate of 0.56%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 78838
78838 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 78838.
Who works in 78838, and how
Work in 78838 centers on professional & technical and finance & insurance. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 52%
- Work from home 42%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 78838
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 78838.
What the weather is like in 78838, month by month
78838 sees roughly 189 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 51° | 40° |
| April | 85° | 70° | 59° |
| July | 98° | 84° | 73° |
| October | 84° | 71° | 61° |
Flying in and out of 78838
The nearest airport, Del Rio International, is about 73 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is San Antonio International, about 76 miles away.
The best schools in and around 78838
Schools across 78838 average a C−, better than 28% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sabinal ElD+ · 22% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sabinal SecondaryD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Sabinal SecondaryC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 78838 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
78838 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 78838 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 78838
Is 78838 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 78838 ranks 20,713th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, quiet, and a stable housing market, and lowest on a weak job market and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 78838 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $287,193. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $80,453 median income, cost of living beats 77% of zip codes.
Is 78838 safe?
78838 is safer than 19% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $566 per resident a year.
Compare 78838 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 78838. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 78838 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.
78838 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 78838: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 78838: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 78838: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 78838: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
78838 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.