Military City USA · Joint Base San Antonio
PCS to San Antonio? Start with your installation.
Lackland, Fort Sam, and Randolph are 16–18 miles apart, and that one fact decides where you should live. Homes, neighborhoods, and the real BAH math for Military City USA, from a local team that works every PCS season.
PCSing to San Antonio?
Tell us where you're reporting and when. A local agent will send homes near your gate and answer your questions.
- 3 + 1JBSA installations, plus Camp Bullis
- 1BAH rate across all of JBSA
- $0Down with a VA loan
- 0%State income tax in Texas
Pick your installation
Start with where you report
The most common mistake new arrivals make: renting near the wrong base. The three JBSA installations are 16–18 miles apart. Pick your neighborhood by your installation first — everything else second.
Southwest side
JBSA-Lackland
U.S. Air Force · Basic Military Training + 37th Training Wing
Where every Airman's career starts, and where a huge share of JBSA families land.
On-post housing: Balfour Beatty Communities.
Homes near Lackland ↗New listings near Lackland, by email
Central, near downtown
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston
U.S. Army · Army South + Brooke Army Medical Center
The military medicine capital: medics, providers, and headquarters staff.
On-post housing: Balfour Beatty Communities.
Homes near Fort Sam Houston ↗New listings near Fort Sam Houston, by email
Universal City, northeast
JBSA-Randolph
U.S. Air Force · Air Education & Training Command HQ
The “Showplace of the Air Force.”
On-post housing: Balfour Beatty Communities.
Homes near Randolph ↗New listings near Randolph, by email
North side
Camp Bullis
Training annex · Field training and medical exercises
Most assigned personnel live in the Stone Oak / north corridor.
No family housing on the annex; most live off-post.
Homes near Camp Bullis ↗New listings near Camp Bullis, by email
Neighborhoods by installation
Where JBSA families live
In San Antonio, choose by school district first. Every card lists the district, the distance from the gate, and a typical commute.
Near Lackland
Westover Hills / Potranco corridor
~6 miClosest growth area to the gate, lots of new construction.
- Commute
- 10–15 min
- Schools
- Northside ISD
Alamo Ranch
~12 miFar west. Newer homes, shopping, master-planned streets.
- Commute
- 20–25 min
- Schools
- Northside ISD
Helotes
~20 miHill Country feel and acreage, a little farther out.
- Commute
- 30–35 min
- Schools
- Northside ISD
Near Fort Sam Houston
Terrell Hills
~3 miEstablished and quiet, right next door.
- Commute
- Under 10 min
- Schools
- Alamo Heights ISD
Alamo Heights
Under 5 miHistoric homes, premium pricing.
- Commute
- About 10 min
- Schools
- Alamo Heights ISD
Stone Oak
~17 miMaster-planned, close to the Medical Center.
- Commute
- 25–30 min
- Schools
- North East ISD
Near Randolph
Universal City / Live Oak
0–3 miAt the gate. Established neighborhoods.
- Commute
- About 5 min
- Schools
- Judson ISD
Converse
About 5 miThe most affordable option near Randolph.
- Commute
- About 10 min
- Schools
- Judson ISD
Schertz / Cibolo
~6 miHeavy new construction, family-friendly.
- Commute
- Under 10 min
- Schools
- Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD
Near Camp Bullis
Stone Oak
~8 miWhere most Camp Bullis personnel live.
- Commute
- 15 min
- Schools
- North East ISD
Boerne
~15 miHill Country town, our home office.
- Commute
- 20 min up I-10
- Schools
- Boerne ISD
Dual-base households
Stone Oak / 1604–281 corridor
15–20 mi to eachSplits the difference when one spouse is at Randolph and the other at Fort Sam or Lackland.
- Commute
- 25–35 min
- Schools
- North East ISD
Distances and commute times are approximate, gate to neighborhood centre, outside rush hour.
BAH + the rent-or-buy math
One BAH for all of JBSA
All of JBSA shares one housing area. A Staff Sergeant at Lackland collects the exact same BAH as a Staff Sergeant at Randolph — your rate depends on rank and dependents only, and moving between JBSA installations never changes it.
| Grade | With dependents | Without |
|---|---|---|
| E-4 | $1,728 | $1,359 |
| E-5 | $1,869 | $1,500 |
| E-6 | $2,094 | $1,596 |
| E-7 | $2,112 | $1,731 |
| O-3 | $2,127 | $2,007 |
| O-4 | $2,307 | $2,088 |
What your BAH buys
Estimate assumes $0 down, a 30-year fixed rate of 6.25%, property tax at 2% and $175/mo insurance, before the VA funding fee and any HOA. It is not a loan quote. Your rate and taxes will differ.
Email me this search. We'll send homes around $215,000 in San Antonio as they list.
On-post, rent off-post, or buy with VA
| On-post housing | Rent off-post | Buy with VA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it costs | Your full BAH goes to the housing company | In several corridors rent runs under BAH, and the difference stays in your pocket | $0 down, no PMI; your payment builds equity |
| Commute | Under 5 minutes | Depends on the corridor you pick | Depends on the corridor you pick |
| Getting in | Waitlists, especially in summer | Lease with a military clause | Pre-approval, then close (even before you arrive) |
| Maintenance | In the housing company's hands | Landlord's responsibility | Yours |
| When you PCS out | Clear and go | Military clause ends the lease | Sell, or keep it as a rental |
Rent or buy, by tour length
- 3+ years
Buying usually wins. VA financing removes the down-payment barrier, and San Antonio's steady market plus its rental demand protect the exit.
- 2 years
Borderline. Run it with real closing costs before deciding. We'll run your numbers, free.
- Under 2 years
Rent, unless the plan from day one is to keep the home as a rental (see PCS-out).
Texas costs, honestly: no state income tax, but Bexar County property taxes run roughly 1.8–2.1%. File the homestead exemption right after closing; disabled veterans may qualify for a partial or full property-tax exemption (100% P&T = zero property tax). And check flood risk on the Bexar County maps, not just FEMA's — creek corridors flood faster than the maps suggest.
The JBSA PCS timeline
What to do, and when
- 01
Orders in hand
8–12 weeks out
- Build the PCS binder: orders + amendments, LES, medical and school records
- Book household goods in DPS early. Peak summer slots in San Antonio fill fast
- Decide rent vs. buy and start your VA pre-approval
- 02
Final prep
30+ days out
- Submit allotment + TSP changes
- Activate your travel card
- Start school enrollment transfers
- Get virtual home tours underway
- 03
Arrival
Report week
- Report + finance in-processing (your unit determines which installation processes your voucher)
- File the DLA claim
- Sign the lease or start the closing clock
- 04
Settled
First 30 days
- Keys in hand
- File your homestead exemption (new owners)
- Utilities, voter and vehicle registration done
- Close out voucher reimbursements
Get the free JBSA PCS checklist
Every step above as a printable checklist for your PCS binder, from orders in hand to your first 30 days.
VA loans in Texas
$0 down, no PMI, and a broker who knows the loan side
- $0 down, no PMI. The VA funding fee is a one-time charge you can roll into the loan, and it's fully waived for service-connected disability ratings.
- Entitlement can be restored and reused. Many military homeowners keep a rental at each duty station on exactly this play.
- Buying from wherever you are now. Video tours, live walkthroughs, e-sign everything. JBSA buyers routinely close before they arrive.
Our broker, Jason Campbell, spent 15 years as a mortgage loan officer before real estate. Your VA loan questions get answered by someone who has underwritten the other side of the table.
Joint Base San Antonio: Lackland AFB (southwest), Fort Sam Houston (central), and Randolph AFB (northeast, in Universal City), plus the Camp Bullis training annex on the north side.
Yes. All JBSA installations share the San Antonio housing area. Your rank and dependents set your rate; your installation doesn't.
For 3+ years, buying usually wins. For 2 years, run the real numbers with closing costs. Under 2 years, rent, unless you're buying to hold the home as a rental.
8–12 weeks before your report date, and earlier in the peak summer season when moving slots fill fast.
Yes. Video tours, live walkthroughs, remote signing and remote closing are standard practice here. JBSA buyers routinely close before they arrive.
Roughly 1.8–2.1% a year in Bexar County before exemptions. The homestead exemption and disabled-veteran exemptions change the math materially (a 100% P&T rating means zero property tax on your homestead).
Leases carry a military clause as a matter of law. Purchase contracts are handled case by case, so talk to us before you sign anything.
Leaving JBSA?
PCS out of San Antonio? Your house sits in the strongest rental pipeline in Texas.
Thousands of military families PCS into JBSA every year, and your next tenant is likely one of them. Option One's property management team can rent and manage your home while you're at your next duty station, or we sell it on your timeline if that's the better move. Start with a free rental analysis.