Texas State University, San Marcos

San Marcos, TX

Texas State University, San Marcos - San Marcos, TX Area Guide

A charming riverside campus in the Texas hill country

Public Urban Walkable River Bobcats

Texas State’s main campus is a charming and historic environment on the banks of the San Marcos River. The Bobcats compete in NCAA Division I as part of the Sun Belt Conference. In addition to its prestigious scholarly reputation, the university serves as a major cultural hub for the region, with the Alkek Library housing archives pertaining to everything from international photography to Texas literature. Several of the major buildings are found on the west side of campus, making the neighborhoods off of Old Ranch Road 12 popular among students and faculty members. The Forest Hills neighborhood is also a convenient location, providing the easiest access to the classroom buildings surrounding The Quad. San Marcos is largely a college town, and there are tons of ways to occupy your free time off-campus. The section of Downtown known as The Square is the center of nightlife for the campus-area community, the perfect place to kick back with a beer on the weekend or hang out in one of the unique coffee houses. Floating down the San Marcos River (which runs right along the east side of campus) is a popular way to beat the Texas heat, and it’s not uncommon to end up on a river float multiple weekends in a row. The river is also lined with lush green parks, perfect for escaping the often-hectic atmosphere of the university.

Rent Trends

As of April 2026, the average apartment rent in San Marcos, TX is $824 for a studio, $1,126 for one bedroom, $1,314 for two bedrooms, and $1,517 for three bedrooms. Apartment rent in San Marcos has decreased by -5.7% in the past year.

  • Studio

  • 407 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $824/month

    Average Rent

  • 1 BR

  • 704 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $1,126/month

    Average Rent

  • 2 BR

  • 980 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $1,314/month

    Average Rent

  • 3 BR

  • 1,293 sq ft

    Average Sq Ft

  • $1,517/month

    Average Rent

Getting Around

Moderately Walkable

Walkability

60 / 100

Very Drivable

Drivability

80 / 100

Fairly Bikeable

Bikeability

50 / 100

Daily Essentials

Supermarket Within a 20 Minute Walk

Groceries

50 / 100

Good Restaurant Variety Nearby

Restaurants

60 / 100

Good Café Variety Nearby

Cafes

60 / 100

Fair Variety of Shops Nearby

Shopping

50 / 100

Local Vibe

Mostly Calm Atmosphere

Vibrancy

30 / 100

Fair Nightlife Variety Nearby

Nightlife

40 / 100

Not Noisy

Quiet Score

100 / 100

Schools

Blanco Vista Elementary School

Public

Grades PK-5

731 Students

Crockett Elementary School

Public

Grades K-5

525 Students

Rodriguez Elementary School

Public

Grades K-5

498 Students

Hernandez Elementary School

Public

Grades K-5

525 Students

Mendez Elementary School

Public

Grades K-5

496 Students

Miller Middle

Public

Grades 6-8

986 Students

Goodnight Middle

Public

Grades 6-8

866 Students

Ki Charter Academy

Public

Grades K-12

189 Students

San Marcos High School

Public

Grades 9-12

2,536 Students

Ki Charter Academy

Public

Grades K-12

189 Students

Points of Interest

Parks and Recreation

  • San Marcos Nature Center (temporarily closed - see website)
  • Wonder World Park
  • San Marcos Aquatic Resources Center

Commuter Rail

Airports

  • Austin-Bergstrom International

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Methodology

† Our analysis of utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, home prices, and other goods and services is sourced from the Cost of Living Index, a respected benchmark published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that provides a thorough overview of living expenses across different regions.

Rent data is provided by CoStar Group’s Market Trend reports. As the industry leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, CoStar conducts extensive research to produce and maintain a comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. We combine this data with public record to provide the most up-to-date rental information available.

Consumer goods, services, and home prices are sourced from the Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The data on this page is updated quarterly. It was last published in February 2026.

Demographic information comes from Neustar and combines detailed address data with U.S. Census and American Community Survey statistics to produce reliable local estimates.