SMART Housing Apartments in East Austin, TX
16 SMART Housing apartment communities we work with in East, with starting rents from $805. SMART Housing is a City of Austin program: participating communities set aside homes at reduced rents for renters under the income caps. Prices are from our daily checks, and our help is free.
Do you qualify?
The same limits apply at every community on this page.
How many people will live in the home?
What does your household earn in a year?
Capped homes are out of reach at most communities, but the buildings with some capped homes still rent their other homes at the regular price, with no income limit.
Tap a number to see your income limit.
For 2 people, yearly household income must be under:
- Homes at the 50% level$53,800
- Homes at the 60% level Most common$64,560
- Homes at the 80% level$85,450
Earn more than $85,450? Most capped homes are out of reach, but the buildings with only some capped homes still rent the rest at market rate.
Every household size
| People | 50% level | 60% level | 80% level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $47,050 | $56,460 | $74,800 |
| 2 | $53,800 | $64,560 | $85,450 |
| 3 | $60,500 | $72,600 | $96,150 |
| 4 | $67,200 | $80,640 | $106,800 |
| 5 | $72,600 | $87,120 | $115,350 |
| 6 | $78,000 | $93,600 | $123,900 |
City of Austin limits, effective June 1, 2026. A level is a share of the area's median family income ($134,400). Count the gross yearly income of everyone moving in. Seven or more people? The limits keep rising, so ask us. Each community confirms your exact limit when you apply.
All 16 on the map
Tap a pin for today's price and specials. Open the full map for every filter.
Our picks right now
Class A luxury first, then the lowest advertised entry prices among the SMART Housing communities here. Updates with our daily price checks.
#1 pick
Aldrich 51
Class A- · Studio to 2 bed · 2604 Aldrich Street
From $805
Ask us about this community#2 pick
The Rail
Class A · Studio to 2 bed · 2921 E. 17th St.
From $995
Ask us about this community
#3 pick
Norman Commons
Class A · 1 bed to 4 bed · 5712 Jackie Robinson St
From $1,090
6.5 weeks free running now: from $954/mo net effective
Ask us about this communityFrom $805
From $850
From $950
From $995
6.5 weeks free running now: from $954/mo net effective
From $1,090
10.8 weeks free running now: from $870/mo net effective
From $1,098
Up to 6 weeks free running now: from $1,008/mo net effective
From $1,139
From $1,153
4 weeks free running now: from $1,125/mo net effective
From $1,219
From $1,381
Up to 2 weeks free running now: from $1,505/mo net effective
From $1,565
2 weeks free running now: from $1,590/mo net effective
From $1,653
From $1,709
From $1,780
From $1,799
From $2,160
How qualifying works
You apply like any other renter: application, screening, deposit. The community then verifies your household income against the program tier for the home you want, usually with pay stubs or tax documents, which can add a few days. Earn over the cap and the application is denied, so check the numbers above honestly first. Earn under it and you get some of the newest buildings in the city at prices set by the program, many of them Class A communities.
SMART Housing is one program inside the bigger income restricted world. For every income capped community here, see income restricted apartments in East.
Data reviewed by Ross Quade, Licensed Apartment Locator (TREC #679806)How we get our dataprogram status from our community relationships and the city inventory, confirmed by each community at application
Smart housing apartments in other areas
Drive times are one reading with live traffic, taken Tuesday 8:30 AM Central and last measured October 13, 2026. They are not a live lookup and not a weekly average. Leaving at 5pm will run longer. How we get our data.