Cost of Living in Universal City
Universal City runs slightly below the national cost-of-living average and slightly above the Texas average on BestPlaces' index -- a genuinely moderate, unremarkable cost profile rather than a standout in either direction.
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Learn moreA near-average cost of living, by the numbers
BestPlaces gives Universal City a cost-of-living index of 91.3 -- 8.7% below the U.S. average, but 3.1% above the Texas state average of 94.2 (BestPlaces, retrieved 2026-08-22). In practical terms, Universal City reads as moderately affordable nationally but not a standout bargain within Texas specifically.
The most affordable housing in this dataset's San Antonio-area batch
The base record cites Universal City's median sale price at $274,000 (trailing three months ending May 2026), the lowest of the four San Antonio-area satellite cities in this dataset -- lower than Schertz, New Braunfels, and Boerne. That affordability is real, though it is partly offset by Bexar County's comparatively high property tax rate -- see the taxes-insurance topic.
Property tax offsets some of the affordability advantage
Bexar County's blended effective property tax rate is cited around 2.27% (Ownwell, retrieved 2026-08-21, per the base record) -- notably higher than the Guadalupe County rate (~1.69%) cited for neighboring Schertz, meaning Universal City's lower purchase price comes with a comparatively higher ongoing tax bill than some of its Guadalupe-County-adjacent neighbors.
Key takeaways
- Universal City's BestPlaces cost-of-living index is 91.3 -- 8.7% below the U.S. average but 3.1% above the Texas average.
- Its $274,000 median sale price is the lowest of the four San Antonio-area cities in this dataset.
- Bexar County's ~2.27% blended effective property tax rate offsets some of that purchase-price affordability with a comparatively higher ongoing tax bill.
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