(78737) Hill Country / Dripping Springs Apartment Listings & Reviews

Five communities, one master plan, and a 30 minute buffer from everything Austin throws at you.

Hill Country / Belterra · Car dependent with strong trail access · One bedrooms from $1,012 to $1,849 · 5 communities built between 2015 and 2024 · One is 55+

I’ve toured every apartment community in 78737. This is the part of Austin that doesn’t feel like Austin anymore. You’re in Hays County, technically inside the city limits, but the vibe is Dripping Springs. Master planned subdivisions, limestone hills, old oaks, no streetlights by design. It’s quiet out here. And it’s getting less cheap.

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 78737 before you dig in.

The entire apartment inventory here sits inside the Belterra orbit. All five communities are clustered along or just off 290 near Nutty Brown Road, within a few minutes of each other. Belterra is a 1,600 acre master planned community with over 400 acres of open space and 17 miles of hike and bike trails. The apartment communities plug into that. You’re not renting in an isolated pocket. You’re renting at the edge of a neighborhood that was built around pools, parks, pocket trails, and a rec center with a junior Olympic lap pool. One bedrooms here run from $1,012 at Anthem at Ledge Stone to $1,849 at Lookout, with most landing between $1,200 and $1,400.

Which one depends on your situation. If your budget is under $1,300 and you have a recent broken lease or eviction on your record, Belterra Springs is the only community in this ZIP that considers those. They also consider bankruptcies. If you want the newest build with the best deal right now, Lookout is a 2024 build offering 8 to 10 weeks free on leases signed by December 31. If you’re 55 or older and want to walk to Belterra Village, Jovie Belterra is the only age restricted community in this ZIP, but know that it starts at $1,750 for a one bedroom. View at Belterra has the cheapest starting rent in the ZIP at $1,158 and sits closest to the shops at the village. And Anthem at Ledge Stone has the most units open right now, with one bedrooms from $1,012 across several floor plans.

Belterra Village is the reason this ZIP works for renters who don’t want to drive to Oak Hill for a gallon of milk. The 93 acre mixed use center at 290 and Nutty Brown has an H-E-B, EVO Cinemas with an IMAX screen, The League Kitchen, Hat Creek Burger, Torchy’s, JuiceLand, Spoon + Fork Thai Kitchen, a Spec’s, and Breed & Co. hardware. Some of these apartments are walking distance to the village. Most are a two minute drive. The Nutty Brown H-E-B opened in 2023 on the old Nutty Brown Café & Amphitheatre site. They kept signed guitars from Texas musicians in the entryway. Between that and the Dripping Springs H-E-B about seven miles west, grocery access isn’t the problem it was five years ago.

The 290 corridor west of here is also the craft beverage capital of the Hill Country. Dripping Springs and the stretch toward Wimberley have over a dozen wineries, distilleries, and breweries within 15 minutes. That matters if your weekends are part of why you’re choosing where to live. It’s part of why this area keeps growing. People who move out here aren’t just commuting to Austin. They’re choosing a different kind of weekend.

The trade-off is the commute, and it’s not small. You’re 30 minutes to downtown with no traffic. During rush hour, plan for 45 minutes to an hour. The Oak Hill bottleneck at the Y is the pain point. TxDOT has a $677 million expansion project on 290 from Oak Hill to Dripping Springs, and it should help eventually. But right now, 290 is the only road in and out of this ZIP. There’s no backup route. About 35% of residents in 78737 work from home, and that number tells you who this area works best for.

Dripping Springs ISD is the draw for families, and it’s not close. Rooster Springs Elementary sits inside the Belterra community at 1001 Belterra Drive. Sycamore Springs Middle is on Sawyer Ranch Road. Dripping Springs High is about seven miles west on 290. The district carries a B rating from TEA, with three A rated campuses including Rooster Springs. Class sizes run smaller than Austin ISD or Hays CISD. Parent involvement runs higher too.

If 78737 pricing is too high or the commute is too long, check the communities just west in 78620. Local Dripping Springs, Ridge at Headwaters, and Western Springs are all in the Dripping Springs ZIP, a few minutes further down 290, with one bedrooms starting in the low $1,100s. Same school district. Same Hill Country feel. A little further from Austin but sometimes a few hundred a month cheaper.

Pick a community below to read the full review, or get in touch if you want me to narrow it down based on your budget, timeline, and screening situation.