Bexar County sits above the national FHA floor, and the median San Antonio home sells for a little over half of what FHA will lend here. If you were told your price range is too high for FHA, that was almost certainly wrong.
These come from HUD's own CY2026 mortgage limits lookup for Bexar County, in the San Antonio–New Braunfels MSA. A lot of sites quote the national floor of $541,287 instead. San Antonio is priced above the floor, so our limit is higher.
| Property | 2026 FHA limit |
|---|---|
| One unit | $557,750 |
| Two units | $714,000 |
| Three units | $863,100 |
| Four units | $1,072,600 |
| HUD median sale price used | $469,000 |
Put that next to the market: San Antonio's median sale price is running somewhere in the $265,000 to $300,000 range depending on whose data you use. The FHA limit here is roughly double the median home price. For the overwhelming majority of buyers in this city, the loan limit is simply not the constraint — credit, debt-to-income and cash to close are.
The two-to-four unit limits matter more than people realise. You can buy a duplex, triplex or fourplex with an FHA loan at 3.5% down as long as you live in one of the units, and the limits above are what you get. That is one of the cheapest ways into San Antonio rental property that exists.
Down payment assistance is where most San Antonio FHA buyers find their real leverage — but program availability changes, and a lot of pages describe help that isn't currently being funded. Here is the honest position as of September 23, 2026.
| Program | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| City of San Antonio HIP 80 / HIP 120 | Closed | Not accepting new applications for FY 2026. The city states funding could return October 1, 2026 if Council renews it. |
| TSAHC — Home Sweet Texas | Open | 2% to 5% of the loan amount, as a grant or a second lien. 620 minimum score on FHA. |
| TSAHC — Homes for Texas Heroes | Open | Same assistance structure, for teachers, first responders, corrections, EMS, nurses and veterans. Higher income ceiling. |
| TDHCA — My First Texas Home | Open | 2% to 5% assistance, funding permitting. 620 minimum score. Deferred repayable or 3-year forgivable second lien. |
The TDHCA limits for the San Antonio–New Braunfels area, effective July 13, 2026, are worth knowing before you assume you earn too much: household income up to $104,725 for one or two people and $120,434 for three or more, with an acquisition cost limit of $583,580. Those ceilings are a lot higher than most buyers expect. If you're in a targeted census tract the numbers go higher again.
Note that TSAHC's stand-alone Mortgage Credit Certificate is no longer offered on its own — it now has to be paired with down payment assistance. That changed recently and plenty of sites haven't caught up.
These are program rules, not quotes. Income and price ceilings move, funding runs out, and each program has its own overlays. Send me your numbers and I'll tell you which ones you actually clear.
HUD's rule has not changed: a 580 score gets you maximum financing at 3.5% down, and 500 to 579 limits you to 90% loan-to-value, meaning 10% down. Below 500 there is no FHA financing at all.
| Score | Max financing | Down payment |
|---|---|---|
| 580 and above | 96.5% LTV | 3.5% |
| 500 to 579 | 90% LTV | 10% |
| Below 500 | Not eligible | — |
Here is the part that catches people out. Most lenders add their own overlay on top of HUD's rule, commonly 620 or 640, and many will not touch a file in the 500s at all. That is not FHA saying no — that is one lender saying no. It is also precisely the situation a broker is useful in, because the overlay varies enormously between the lenders on my sheet and I can see which ones will actually take the file.
If your score is in the 500s or low 600s, don't assume you're out. Ask before you apply anywhere, because a declined application on your record makes the next one harder.
Every FHA loan carries two mortgage insurance charges, and the second one is the reason FHA is not automatically the cheapest option. An upfront premium of 1.75% of the loan amount, almost always financed into the balance rather than paid at closing. Then an annual premium, billed monthly.
| Down payment | Annual premium | How long you pay it |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5% (96.5% LTV) | 0.55% | The life of the loan. It does not fall off. |
| 5% (95% LTV) | 0.50% | The life of the loan. |
| 10% or more (90% LTV or less) | 0.50% | 11 years, then it stops. |
On a $300,000 purchase with 3.5% down, that is roughly $5,250 of upfront premium rolled into the balance and about $140 a month in annual MIP — for as long as you hold the loan. The only way off it is to refinance out of FHA once you have equity, which is a perfectly normal exit and one a lot of San Antonio buyers plan for from day one.
That is also the honest comparison most FHA pages skip. If your score is above 680 and you have 5% saved, a conventional loan with cancellable PMI often beats FHA over the time you'll actually own the house. If your score is 600 and you have 3.5%, FHA usually wins outright. I run both side by side before recommending either, because I'm not paid more for one than the other.
No credit pull to start, no obligation, and a straight answer on whether FHA is the right route for your file or whether something else prices better.
Want the full national rulebook rather than the San Antonio version? Read the complete FHA loan guide.