(78705) UT / West Campus / Hancock Apartment Listings & Reviews

78705 Is Austin’s Most Walkable ZIP. You’ll Pay for It.

Central Austin Apartments (78705): The UT corridor, from West Campus student housing to the newer mid-rises along Harmon Ave. Studios from $1,099. 8 communities built from 1971 to 2021.

I’ve toured apartment communities across the 78705 ZIP code. This is the one ZIP in Austin where you can actually live without a car. Walk Score hits 92 in West Campus. That’s not a number you’ll find anywhere else in the city. But walkability costs money here. The cheapest one bedroom in this ZIP is $1,389 at Stone Hill on Speedway. The priciest three bedroom is $3,902 at Troubadour on Harmon. And there’s not much in between.

Every community in this ZIP code has a full review below. Each one covers what listing sites leave out: actual screening criteria, real fee breakdowns, net effective rent math, and honest resident feedback compared to what I saw on my own tours.

A few things worth knowing about 78705 before you dig in.

This ZIP has two completely different apartment markets sitting next to each other. West Campus, south of 30th, is student territory. UT is right there. The Drag runs along Guadalupe with Kerbey Lane (open 24/7 since the ’80s), Halal Bros, In-N-Out, and whatever new coffee spot opened this semester. Pease Park sits along Shoal Creek. 84 acres, trails, splash pads, off-leash dog area. Montgomery House and Stone Hill are the two communities on this side in our directory. The rest are smaller walk-ups and private student housing that don’t show up in the usual apartment searches.

Cross north of 30th into Hancock and the vibe changes. Four mid-rise communities line Harmon Ave: Aura Thirty2, Marq Uptown, Sabina, and Troubadour. These were built between 2014 and 2021. Five story buildings. Pools, coworking lounges, parking garages. The Hive on Red River is the outlier: a ’71 build with studios from $1,099, the cheapest entry point in the ZIP. This side of 78705 gets more young professionals than students. Quieter streets, old trees, Hancock Golf Course across 41st.

Most of West Campus leases by the bedroom, not the unit. That’s the part that confuses parents. A four bedroom at a West Campus high-rise might list at $4,200, but each roommate signs their own lease at $1,050. Montgomery House works the same way. What each person actually pays runs $575 to $1,050 depending on the building and how many bedrooms you’re splitting. The Hancock side is different. Troubadour, Sabina, Marq Uptown, Aura Thirty2: these are conventional leases. One lease, one rent figure, your name on all of it. If you’re a student who wants your own lease for just your room, stay on the West Campus side. If you’re signing a standard lease as a working professional or a couple, look at Hancock. And if you’ve got a tough rental history, I’ll tell you which communities on either side are worth applying to.

Aura Thirty2 is the only community running a special right now. Four weeks free. That’s it for the whole ZIP. Sabina, Troubadour, Marq Uptown, Gables Central Park: none of them are offering concessions. Stone Hill had up to eight weeks free but that deadline passed in October. When only one out of eight communities is running a deal, that tells you the landlords in 78705 don’t feel pressure to discount. Occupancy is tight here.

Two communities in this ZIP have income restricted units. Marq Uptown has AMFI plans at 80%, 130%, and 150% of area median income next to its market rate units. Sabina also has an AMFI restricted plan. The market rate studios at Marq start at $1,627. At Sabina they start at $1,543. If you qualify for a restricted unit the rent is lower, but those have separate applications and waitlists. I can tell you which plans are restricted and which are market before you apply.

You’re paying for location, not square footage. A one bedroom at Sabina runs $1,593. A one bedroom at Gables Central Park at The Triangle runs $1,669. Troubadour’s one bedrooms start at $1,799. That’s $200 spread across three communities within a mile of each other, all built in different decades. The difference is finishes, amenities, and how new the building is. Troubadour (2021) and Aura Thirty2 (2020) are the newest and price like it. Gables (1997) and The Hive (1971) are the oldest and price like it. Pick the vintage that fits your budget.

Hancock Golf Course is worth knowing about even if you don’t golf. Founded in 1899, it’s the oldest continuously operated course in Texas. Nine holes, public, and Waller Creek runs through the middle of it. Harvey Penick coached here. The course sits on 41st Street right behind the HEB at Hancock Center, which just finished a big remodel in 2026. That HEB is where you’ll do your grocery shopping if you live on the Hancock side. West Campus renters are closer to the Whole Foods flagship on Lamar or the 7th Street HEB.

Shoal Creek Trail connects this ZIP to downtown on foot. About four miles of paved and gravel trail from 38th through Pease Park all the way down to the lake. Cyclists use it to get downtown without dealing with Lamar traffic. Bailey Park at 33rd has volleyball courts and a splash pad. Eastwoods Park on Red River has the Eeyore statue from the annual birthday party. If you run or bike, this ZIP has more trails than most of Central Austin.

The Triangle is where everything is on the north end. Gables Central Park sits right there at 38th and Lamar. Hopdoddy, Mandola’s, Flying Saucer. Wednesday farmers market in the park. It’s where you eat and shop on the Hancock side without driving to the Domain.

Parking is the trade-off for walkability. West Campus is brutal for street parking. The mid-rises on Harmon have garages but they charge for it. Some communities charge $75 to $150 a month on top of rent. If you’re not bringing a car, this is one of the few ZIPs in Austin where that actually works. CapMetro runs a lot of bus routes down Guadalupe and along Lamar, and the 801 MetroRapid connects you to downtown in under 15 minutes.

If you’re searching for a fall move-in, you’re already late by spring. West Campus pre-leases 8 to 10 months out. The best units for August 2027 will start signing in October 2026. By February the top floors and the floor plans people want are gone. That’s how this ZIP works. But here’s what nobody tells you: if you need to move now or within 30 days, pricing drops. The communities that pre-leased at $1,800 in January sometimes have the same unit at $1,550 in September because they’d rather fill it than let it sit empty. I track which communities still have immediate availability and what the actual rent is today, not what it was during pre-lease season. If your timing is flexible, get in touch and I’ll tell you whether waiting saves you money or costs you the unit.