(78738) Bee Cave Apartment Listings & Reviews

Six Communities, Hill Country Money, and the Only Walkable Retail Hub West of MoPac.

Bee Cave and Lakeway (78738): Lake Travis ISD schools, Falconhead Golf Club in the backyard, 1 bedrooms starting around $1,126, and more retail than any other suburb west of MoPac. Six communities built from 2003 to 2016.

I’ve toured apartment communities across the 78738 ZIP code, and this area is different from most of what I cover. Bee Cave is not a neighborhood. It’s its own city, about 17 miles west of downtown, built around the Hill Country Galleria. And the Galleria is what makes this ZIP work for renters. You’ve got H-E-B, Whole Foods, Cafe Blue, Maudie’s, Bee Cave Coffee Co, a Walgreens, a seasonal ice rink, and free live music on the lawn. All in one cluster. Most suburbs force you to drive 10 minutes for a coffee. This one doesn’t.

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 78738 before you dig in.

This is the cheapest way into Lake Travis ISD. That’s the real story here. Lake Travis ISD is one of the strongest districts in the Austin metro. Lake Travis High is one of the top rated public high schools in the area. Families buy in Westlake for Eanes ISD and pay $2 million. Bee Cave gets you into a school district ranked right behind Eanes, and you can rent a 1 bedroom for $1,126 at Paseo at Bee Cave or $1,146 at Estates at Bee Cave. Berkshire Lakeway is the only community in the ZIP with 4 bedroom units, starting at $2,980. If you’ve got kids in school and you don’t want to buy, this is where the math works.

The Galleria is the anchor. Outside the Galleria, you need a car for everything. Hill Country Galleria is a 152 acre mixed use center with around 100 stores and restaurants. It’s got Whole Foods, Winston’s Coffee Provisions & Pizza (opened late 2025), Mandola’s Italian Market, Tony C’s Coal Fired Pizza, We Olive & Wine Bar, and Amy’s Ice Cream. The Galleria runs a free Saturday Night Concert Series in the spring and fall. The Pecan Street Festival moved here from Sixth Street in 2025, and it’s coming back in September 2026. But walk two blocks past the Galleria and you’re on a two lane Hill Country road. Walk Score is low. You’ll drive to anything that isn’t at the Galleria or the H-E-B.

Falconhead Golf Club is what sets this ZIP apart. It’s a public course designed by the PGA Tour Design Center. Par 72. About 7,100 yards of Hill Country terrain. Most of the golf courses in this part of Austin are private. Falconhead isn’t. It opened in 2003 and it’s still one of the best public courses in the metro. Bee Cave Central Park is 50 acres with a 1 mile perimeter trail, a dog park, and a playground. The Sculpture Park has about 3.6 miles of trails on its own, plus a spring fed pond, old oaks, and rotating sculptures. And the Primitive Park has mountain biking trails with mixed terrain. A 1.5 mile hike and bike trail connects Falconhead to Central Park to the Galleria.

Pick a community based on what actually matters to you, not the listing photos. Paseo at Bee Cave starts at $1,126 for a 1 bedroom and is running up to 6 weeks free on select homes. That’s the price floor in this ZIP. If you’re watching your budget and you don’t need more than a 1 or 2 bedroom, start there. Berkshire Lakeway is the only community in 78738 with 4 bedroom units, starting at $2,980, and they’re offering a month free on 12 month leases. Families who need the space don’t have another option in this ZIP. Avanti Hills sits right on Bee Cave Parkway, the closest walk to the Galleria and Whole Foods. If you work from home and want to grab lunch without driving, that’s the one. Falconhead is the oldest build here (2003) and the most established, right next to the golf course. Estates at Bee Cave has 1 bedrooms from $1,146 and 3 bedrooms up to $2,324 with no special running. Cielo has the most units in the ZIP at 554 but isn’t showing current pricing online right now, so text us for current pricing there. And if you’ve got a broken lease, an eviction, or credit issues, I can tell you which of these six will actually work with your situation before you waste an application fee.

Oak Hill is cheaper. Lakeway is closer to the water. Here’s the trade-off. Oak Hill (78735) starts around $1,100 for a 1 bedroom, but you’re in AISD instead of Lake Travis ISD and the retail is thinner. Lakeway runs about the same as Bee Cave on rent but puts you closer to the marinas and lake access. Dripping Springs is further out, bigger lots, more rural, and the commute adds another 10 to 15 minutes. Bee Cave is the only one where you get LTISD, a retail center you can actually walk, and rents under $1,150. CapMetro bus 333 runs in the area but it’s not practical for a daily commute. There’s no rail out here. Budget for a car and gas. If you’ve got a complicated rental history, the community list changes in every one of these ZIPs, and I can tell you which ones are worth applying to.

The commute is honest 25 to 35 minutes, and rush hour stretches it. Highway 71 is your route downtown. Off peak, you can make it in 20 to 25 minutes. During morning rush, the merge at 71 and MoPac stacks up and you’re looking at 30 to 40. If you work in the Domain or northwest Austin, 620 North is about the same drive. A lot of people out here work from home full time or go in two or three days a week. That’s the setup that makes Bee Cave work. Five days a week downtown, and you’ll feel the drive.

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.