(78736) Southwest Austin / West Oak Hill Apartment Listings & Reviews

Five communities along 290 West, all built since 2000, priced from $1,076 to $2,779, and finally on the other side of the construction that defined this ZIP for years.

Southwest Austin / West Oak Hill — highway corridor living with greenbelt access, a newly rebuilt commute, and one bedrooms starting around $1,100.

I’ve toured every apartment community in the 78736 ZIP code. Every one of them sits on Highway 290 West between the Y at Oak Hill and FM 1826. That’s a mile and a half of road. And for the last several years, it’s been a mile and a half of construction barrels, lane closures, and detour signs. The Oak Hill Parkway project is finally wrapping up in 2026, and the difference is real. The flyover at the Y replaced what used to be one of the worst bottlenecks in Central Texas.

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, honest resident feedback, and what I saw on my own tours.

A few things worth knowing about 78736 before you dig in.

You’re trading walkability for space, quiet, and trail access. Nobody is walking to dinner in this ZIP. You need a car. But you’re close to some of the best outdoor access in Austin. The Greenbelt is right off 360. Dick Nichols Park is the go-to for everyday outdoor stuff. And the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center sits just south of here. If your weekends involve trail running, mountain biking, or just being outside without fighting for parking, this part of town works.

The 290 commute story changed in 2026. For years, people avoided Oak Hill apartments because the drive into town was brutal. The Y intersection backed up in both directions during rush hour, and there was no way around it. The Oak Hill Parkway project rebuilt the interchange with grade separated lanes, and eastbound drivers can now bypass all surface street lights coming into Austin. Off-peak, you’re looking at 15 to 20 minutes to downtown. Rush hour is still 25 to 35 minutes, but that’s a different number than what people remember. If someone told you Oak Hill was a 45 minute commute, they were right. They’re just not right anymore.

Screening in this ZIP runs tighter than most of Austin. Four of these five communities were built after 2010, and newer construction almost always means stricter screening: higher income multiples, tighter credit thresholds, and less flexibility on broken leases or evictions. That doesn’t mean you’re out of options if your rental history has a mark on it. It means you need to know which ones will work with your situation before you pay an application fee. I check the current screening criteria at every community in this ZIP before I send anyone to apply. That’s not a courtesy call to the leasing office. I check income requirements, what the deposit looks like if your credit is lower, and whether a broken lease or eviction on your record is an automatic denial or something they’ll review with context.

Pricing runs a wide range for just five communities. One bedrooms start around $1,076 at Yaupon by Windsor and go up to $1,228 at Palo Verde. Two bedrooms range from $1,378 at Alister Oak Hill up to $1,788 at Yaupon. Three bedrooms top out around $2,491 at Yaupon and $2,437 at Ocotillo. Only Alister Oak Hill is running a real special right now: 8 weeks free on select homes if you move in by the end of December. Palo Verde is waiving the deposit. The rest are at listed rent. Vineyard Hills is the oldest one here (built 2000) and prices well below the others, with one bedrooms running around $1,250 to $1,300 on listing sites right now. All five communities accept dogs and cats with breed and weight restrictions and monthly pet rent.

Daily errands are covered. The food scene is growing. The H-E-B at 290 and FM 1826 is a 90,000 square foot store that opened in 2021. It replaced the old one near the Y and it’s one of the better H-E-Bs in town. Jack Allen’s Kitchen, just past the Y on Highway 71, is the anchor restaurant for this part of Austin. It’s been there since 2009. Oak Hill Social at 8600 290 does coffee in the morning and cocktails at night, with trivia on Tuesdays. SquareRut Kava Bar is just east of the Y in the historic Old Rock Store, a limestone building from 1898 that’s had about ten different lives. Oak Hill Lounge opened in late 2024 at 6705 Highway 290. It’s not a long list, but it’s not nothing.

The Pinnacle Park and Ride is the one transit option worth knowing about. CapMetro runs the 171 flyer from the Pinnacle Park and Ride into downtown, and it’s the only real public transit option from this ZIP. If you’re a two car household, you won’t think about it. But if you’re trying to get by with one car and someone in the house works downtown, this is the reason 78736 can work when other car dependent ZIPs can’t. Every community in this ZIP is a short drive to the Park and Ride.

Families pick this ZIP for Bowie. Schools in 78736 are AISD: Patton Elementary and Mills Elementary feed into Small Middle School and Gorzycki Middle School, and the high school is Bowie. Bowie is one of the higher rated high schools in AISD, and it’s a big part of why families land in this corner of Southwest Austin instead of going further south or west.

Pick a community below to read the full review, or help your self by conneting with me if you want me to narrow it down based on your budget, timeline, and screening situation. I check every community’s current criteria before you apply so you’re not wasting money on application fees at places that won’t work.