Best PlacesColumbia Heights, San Antonio, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Columbia Heights, San Antonio, 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.
Columbia Heights, San Antonio ranks 4,516th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Columbia Heights, San Antonio
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.
Columbia Heights, San Antonio's strengths and weaknesses
Where Columbia Heights, San Antonio ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$783 a month, better than 90% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
Where Columbia Heights, San Antonio ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Columbia Heights, San Antonio
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Columbia Heights, San Antonio home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $55,320, 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 Columbia Heights, San Antonio's effective rate of 1.46%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Columbia Heights, San Antonio
Columbia Heights, San Antonio'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 Columbia Heights, San Antonio.
Who works in Columbia Heights, San Antonio, and how
Work in Columbia Heights, San Antonio centers on construction and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Columbia Heights, San Antonio
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Columbia Heights, San Antonio.
What the weather is like in Columbia Heights, San Antonio, month by month
Columbia Heights, San Antonio sees roughly 149 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 Columbia Heights, San Antonio
San Antonio International sits about 12 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 Columbia Heights, San Antonio
Schools across Columbia Heights, San Antonio average a D, better than 16% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Collier ElC · 33% proficient
- Hutchins ElD · 17% proficient
- Rayburn ElD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Terrell Wells MiddleD+ · 26% proficient
- A Leal Jr MiddleD · 20% proficient
- Dwight MiddleD− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- South San Antonio H SC · 35% proficient
- Mccollum H SC · 33% proficient
- Harlandale H SC− · 26% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Columbia Heights, San Antonio school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Columbia Heights, San Antonio 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 Columbia Heights, San Antonio against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Columbia Heights, San Antonio
Is Columbia Heights, San Antonio a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Columbia Heights, San Antonio ranks 4,516th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on a stable housing market, affordable childcare, and state finances, 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 Columbia Heights, San Antonio expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $111,356. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $55,320 median income, cost of living beats 31% of neighborhoods.
Is Columbia Heights, San Antonio safe?
Yes, Columbia Heights, San Antonio is safer than 69% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $476 per resident a year.
Compare Columbia Heights, San Antonio with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Columbia Heights, San Antonio. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Columbia Heights, San Antonio 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.
Columbia Heights, San Antonio detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Columbia Heights, San Antonio: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Columbia Heights, San Antonio: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Columbia Heights, San Antonio: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Columbia Heights, San Antonio: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Columbia Heights, San Antonio 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.