Boerne vs Bulverde: Which Hill Country Town Fits You?

Which Hill Country town fits you, Boerne or Bulverde? It is one of the most common questions I hear from families looking just northwest of San Antonio. These are not identical twins: they sit in different counties, feed different school districts, and carry different tax bills. Let's compare them with the numbers attached and the sources dated.

The county and district lines come first

The single most important fact about these two towns is the boundary. Boerne is in Kendall County and is served by Boerne ISD. Bulverde is in Comal County and is served by Comal ISD. Almost everything else, property taxes, school feeders, appraisal district, and some commute routes, follows from that one distinction.

Because both towns sit near the Kendall-Comal county line, a home advertised as one town can sit on either side of the line. The honest way to know is parcel by parcel: pull the property's appraisal district record and confirm the county and school district before you rely on any town label.

Property taxes: combined in-city rates, tax year 2025

Using the combined in-city property tax rates per 100 of assessed value before exemptions for tax year 2025, Boerne and Bulverde land differently:

Source and date: Boerne pieces from Kendall County and the City of Boerne official rates; Bulverde pieces from Comal County 2025 adopted rates. A MUD or special district can add to the bill for its own parcels, and taxable value is assessed value after exemptions, so confirm the exact parcel and its taxing jurisdictions on the appraisal district record before you estimate.

Market snapshot: two towns, two ZIPs

Market figures are dated and directional, so here they are with their source and month attached:

• Boerne, Redfin July 2026: median sale 498,750 dollars, up 9.7 percent year over year, 62 median days on market.
• Bulverde, ZIP 78163, Redfin August 2026: median sale 494,786 dollars, 55 median days on market.

These are single-tracker, dated snapshots, not forecasts. The real comparison is per property, because a new Bulverde subdivision and an established Boerne neighborhood can price very differently within the same town.

Income and commute, by the data

The American Community Survey 2020-2024 gives the only officially published figures for both towns:

• Median household income (ACS 2020-2024): Bulverde 112,188 dollars vs Boerne 84,541 dollars.
• Mean travel time to work (ACS 2020-2024): Bulverde 33.1 minutes vs Boerne 25.3 minutes.

The commute figure is an average to all job locations, not a drive time to any specific office. Point-to-point times are not officially published, so test your own route on a workday morning from the actual address.

Schools: Boerne ISD vs Comal ISD

Boerne addresses generally feed Boerne ISD; Bulverde addresses generally feed Comal ISD. But district boundaries do not follow town signs, and a property near the county line can surprise you. I do not assign school ratings here because zones and feeder patterns change and matter differently to every family. The reliable method is to take the exact property address and check the district's boundary tool, then verify the feeder pattern before you write an offer. I run that zone check for every client.

Who each town fits best

1. Boerne fits buyers who want an established Hill Country town with a historic downtown, Kendall County and Boerne ISD, and a slightly shorter mean commute, and who accept the higher combined in-city tax rate.
2. Bulverde fits buyers who want the US 281 corridor north of San Antonio, Comal ISD, newer subdivisions, and a lower combined in-city rate, and who are comfortable checking the county line parcel by parcel.

Frequently Asked Questions