More affordable than Dallas or Austin, San Antonio, the second largest city in Texas, offers up big city living with a country feel. It’s a great option for millennials, young families and retirees alike. You’ll find avid football fans, historic sites like the Alamo and the San Fernando Cathedral, the rodeo, and big theme parks like Sea World and Six Flags. Dine on award-winning Tex-Mex cuisine, grab drinks at local breweries, and wind down with a walk along the 15-mile San Antonio River Walk. San Antonio is known for its friendliness, annual Fiesta, and confluence of world cultures, including Mexican, Spanish, German, and French.

As of August, 2022, the median home price in San Antonio was $323,000, according to Texas Housing Insight, a publication from the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University. While home prices fluctuate seasonally and in response to supply and demand, the city’s low unemployment, below-average cost of living and several home ownership assistance programs help put owning a home in San Antonio within reach.

The city’s First Responders Home Ownership Buyer Assistance Program makes $7,500 or $15,000 forgivable loans available to police and fire department employees. Another program, the Home Ownership Program for Employees, offers loans between $5,000 and $10,000, also forgivable after five years.

The city also has down payment assistance through its Home Ownership Incentive Programs. HIP 80 is a no-payment, zero interest, 100% forgivable second loan of up to $30,000 for income qualified buyers. HIP 120, is a no-payment, zero interest, 75% forgivable second loan of up to $15,000.

There’s much to appreciate in San Antonio, including the weather. The city receives nearly 300 days of sunshine and has an average temperature of 70 degrees. In the winter, high temperatures may be 55 or 60 degrees, with snow once every few years. In June and July, temperatures average 95 degrees, and during summer the city will experience an average of 111 days where temperatures reach 90 degrees or higher.

Enjoy more than 250 City-owned parks, including swimming pools, gymnasiums, historic cemeteries, sports facilities and recreation centers. Nearly half of the city’s residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park, and an 80-mile trail system connects neighborhoods. For a change of perspective, the 1,000-foot long Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge elevates you 18 feet off the ground for a birds-eye view of the treetops.

Learn more about living, working and relocating to San Antonio with the city’s relocation guide, available online.