(78752) Highland / Crestview / St Johns Apartment Listings & Reviews

This ZIP has two completely different rental markets separated by a few streets and 40 years of construction.

78752 · North Lamar corridor, Red Line access, food scene within walking distance · Studios from $699, one bedrooms from $710 · 20 communities built between 1970 and 2024

I’ve toured the apartment communities in 78752, and the gap between the oldest and newest buildings here is one of the widest I’ve seen in Austin. You can rent a studio at Centro for $699 a month or pay $2,815 at AVE Austin North Lamar. Same ZIP code. The difference is when the building went up, and it shows up in everything from the parking situation to the screening criteria. That matters if you’ve got a complicated rental history, because the older communities here tend to screen very differently than the new mid-rises.

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 78752 before you dig in.

North Lamar is the spine of this ZIP, and it’s one of the better food corridors in Austin. Stiles Switch BBQ is in the old Violet Crown Shopping Center at 6610 N Lamar. It made Texas Monthly’s Top 50 list and won Austin Monthly’s Best BBQ. Michi Ramen is a block south at 6519 N Lamar. Titaya’s Thai is just outside the ZIP on the same road. Little Deli on Woodrow has been serving New Jersey style pizza out of a tiny Crestview storefront since the ’90s. You don’t need to drive downtown to eat well here. But you will need to drive for groceries. There’s no HEB in 78752. The closest HEB is the Hancock Center on E 41st, about two miles south. 99 Ranch Market on Airport Blvd covers Asian groceries if that’s what you need.

The Red Line makes this one of the few ZIP codes in Austin where you can actually commute by train. Crestview Station is at 6920 N Lamar, right in the middle of the ZIP. It connects to downtown’s Republic Square in about 20 to 25 minutes. Midtown Commons was built around it. So was St Johns West. If you work downtown and don’t want to sit on I-35, this is one of maybe four or five ZIP codes where rail is a real daily option. You can get to the Domain on the same line heading north. One thing to know: the Cameron Road side of the ZIP is a 15 to 20 minute walk from the station. If transit matters to your commute, stay west of Airport Blvd.

Your budget draws the line in this ZIP more than the neighborhood does. Under $900 a month, you’re looking at Wildwood on Cameron Road ($710 for a one bedroom, plus 50% off the first four months), Centro Studio Homes on Camino La Costa ($699 studios with 8 weeks free), or The Joplin on North Lamar ($799 studios, $850 one bedrooms). All three are 1970s and ’80s garden style buildings. No elevators, no package lockers, surface parking. But the rents are real and the locations put you within a mile of the Red Line. Between $900 and $1,200, the options open up. Magnolia Court starts at $925 for a one bedroom. Rise at the Camerons is $971. Salado at Walnut Creek is $1,008 with a month free, and St Johns West is $1,170 with a month free. Newer finishes, better kitchens, a pool that doesn’t look like 1983. Above $1,300, you’re in the Highland new builds: FIVEtwo, Ella Parkside, Midtown Commons, Broadstone, Medina Highlands, AVE North Lamar. Mid-rise buildings with secured entry, rooftop decks, coworking spaces. One bedrooms run $1,142 to $1,718 depending on the building and the floor. That’s a real range, and the specials in this price bracket can knock $150 to $200 off your monthly cost when you spread them across the lease.

Over half the communities here are running specials right now, and some of them are aggressive. Wildwood is offering 50% off rent for the first four months. Austin Parke has up to 10 weeks free. Centro Studio Homes is running 8 weeks free on top of a $699 starting rent. Midtown Commons and FIVEtwo are both at up to 8 weeks free. That tells you there’s inventory sitting empty. It gives you room to negotiate. The older communities along Camino La Costa and Cameron Road are the ones without specials. They don’t need them. They fill on price alone.

A few of these communities have income restricted units mixed into their regular listings, and the prices look different depending on which side you qualify for. Broadstone North Lamar has floor plans labeled as affordable in the listing data. FIVEtwo at Highland and St Johns West also have income restricted units. If you qualify, the rents on those specific units are lower than what the building’s market rate tenants pay. If you don’t qualify, those lower prices aren’t available to you, and the starting rent you’ll actually see is higher than what shows up on listing sites that don’t separate the two. I check this for every community I work with.

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.