# Apartment Locator Princeton TX | Free, Real Numbers

> Apartment Locator Princeton TX, free to renters. Rentals along US-380, homes built to rent, and options for bad credit. We'll text you shortly.

URL: https://apartmentlocatordallas.com/neighborhoods/princeton/

Serving Princeton and surrounding areas

# Princeton Apartment Locator: US-380 Rents East of McKinney

Princeton is one of Collin County's cheaper places to rent, out on US-380 between McKinney and Farmersville. New apartment communities keep opening along the highway, and streets of homes built to rent fill the subdivisions west of town. The old town core still has rental houses and duplexes whose owners make their own calls on credit. The catch is the drive west at 8am.

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The gap

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## Princeton apartments by size this week

We checked 5 places in Princeton on November 6, 2026. Prices count any firm free rent, spread over the lease, and are before fees.

- 1 Bedroom: $985 a month typical, from $937, 3 places with one available, 3 with a special
- 2 Bedroom: $1,270 a month typical, from $1,194, 5 places with one available, 4 with a special
- 3 Bedroom: $1,788 a month typical, from $1,437, 5 places with one available, 4 with a special
- 4 Bedroom: from $2,124, 2 places with one available, 2 with a special
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## Princeton rents this week

We check these numbers every week. Updated November 6, 2026. Where a place has a firm move-in special, its rent counts the free rent spread evenly over the lease. Rents are before fees. 5 communities in Princeton had homes available; 4 listed a move-in special. Method: https://apartmentlocatordallas.com/rent-data-methodology/

Our read this week: The typical 2 bedroom dropped $50 since November 1.

| Size | Communities with available apartments | Lowest rent | Middle half | Typical starting rent | Typical $/sq ft | Since November 1 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 bed | 3 | $937 | n/a | $985 | $1.51 | no change |
| 2 bed | 5 | $1,194 | $1,203 to $1,675 | $1,270 | $1.26 | down $50 |
| 3 bed | 5 | $1,437 | $1,628 to $1,799 | $1,788 | $1.32 | down $11 |
| 4 bed | 2 | $2,124 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |

| Building class | Communities | Typical 1 bed | $/sq ft | With a special | Typical weeks free |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Middle (Class B) | 5 | $985 | $1.32 | 80% | n/a |

- Cheapest 1 bedroom here: 1 bed listed from $937 (622 sq ft), Class B. Special: Up to 8 Weeks Free
- Cheapest 2 bedroom here: 2 bed listed from $1,194 (1122 sq ft), Class B. Special: Up to 8 Weeks Free
- Cheapest 3 bedroom here: 3 bed listed from $1,799 (1633 sq ft), Class B
- Cheapest 4 bedroom here: 4 bed listed from $2,124 (1724 sq ft), Class B. Special: 1 Month Free (48 Hour Look and Lease)

Rents are the lowest listed price for an available apartment of each size in our weekly check. We leave out income restricted, tax credit, 55+ and student communities. Prices can change any day, so get the final price in writing from the building before you apply.
<!-- area-rates:end -->

## Areas we cover inside Princeton

- **Downtown Princeton**: The original center of town just south of US-380, with older houses and the city's municipal buildings. McKinney is about a 15 minute drive west.
- **US-380 Corridor**: US-380 runs through Princeton between McKinney and Farmersville, with newer retail along it. Traffic is heavy at peak hours, and most of the newer subdivisions branch off it.
- **Original town core**: Princeton's older streets near downtown have smaller lots and older houses. Rentals here are houses and the occasional duplex, and US-380 is close.
- **Lake Lavon area**: Princeton's south side runs toward Lavon Lake, with Corps of Engineers parks along the shore. Rentals near the lake are mostly houses.
- **West Princeton subdivisions**: Newer subdivisions west of downtown along US-380 toward McKinney. Rentals here are newer houses, many built to rent, with quicker access to McKinney.

## Princeton Apartments Among Collin County's Lower Rents

- The westbound US-380 crawl through McKinney, with the drive time from each address, since it decides whether the savings hold
- Owners in the old town core who may look past a low score, a rare find in Collin County
- Whether each address gets co-op power or Oncor, looked up first

## US-380 west and the 8am question

US-380 is the only real road in and out, west to McKinney and US-75, east to Farmersville. There's no DART service or rail. Central McKinney is about 8 miles west, but at 8am that stretch backs up badly, and a Plano job adds far more. Growth here has run ahead of the road work.

At rush hour, two addresses a mile apart can drive very differently, so drive the route from each one. Lavon Lake is a short trip south for weekends, and Lowry Crossing sits between Princeton and McKinney.

## New communities, homes built to rent and the old town core

The market is growing fastest in the newer apartment communities along US-380 and the houses built to rent west of town. They use standard applications. Is your income solid? Then they may approve you with a bigger deposit, a co-signer or a guarantor company.

The old town core near Downtown Princeton works differently. Owners of older houses and duplexes there are more willing to hear you out on a low score (rare in Collin County at these rents).

Part of Princeton is on a co-op, which sells power directly, so there's no plan to shop. The rest is on Oncor, where you can shop for a plan. We look up the service address to tell you which.

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## Living in Princeton

Princeton is a fast growing town on US-380 east of McKinney, with Lavon Lake to the south. Life is simple here: lake parks, a spring onion festival and a lot of new building.

### Princeton drive times

By our count, it's about 45 minutes to Legacy West at 8am, 70 to DFW Airport and close to 80 to Downtown Dallas. US-380 carries nearly every trip. The Princeton Town Center shopping project is going up at Beauchamp Boulevard, so expect construction there for now.

- **US-380 Princeton** (highway): The road west to McKinney for work and big errands; leave before 7am to miss the worst of the morning backup.

### Lavon Lake parks

Lavon Lake, south of town, is lined with Corps of Engineers parks. East Fork Park is the main Corps campground, with hookup sites and a boat ramp with a courtesy dock. Collin Park, run by a private marina, has campsites too. Brockdale Park is a day use spot with a ramp on the lake's Trinity River arm.

- **Lavon Lake** (lake): Launch a boat or fish from shore on a weekday morning, when the ramps are quiet.
- **East Fork Park** (park): Camp a night by the water close to home, or use the boat ramp and dock for a quick launch.

### The Onion Festival

The Princeton Onion Festival, run by the Princeton Lions Club, comes every April, at Princeton High School. It's the town's big spring day, with vendors, food, a stage show and crowds that grow each year. Parking fills near the school, so arrive early.

- **Princeton Onion Festival** (festival): Go in late April for the vendors and food; it's the one spring Saturday most of the town turns out.

### Groceries and what's coming

Kroger is building a Marketplace store at Princeton Town Center, at Beauchamp Boulevard and the highway, with Home Depot in the same project. Until it opens, most big grocery runs head west on US-380 toward McKinney.

- **Princeton Town Center** (shopping center): The new Kroger and Home Depot site on US-380; until it opens, plan big runs in McKinney.

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## Princeton questions

How slow is US-380 west of Princeton at 8am?

Slow. Central McKinney is only about 8 miles off, but rush hour makes the trip much longer than that sounds, and it won't get better soon. Try it once at that hour before you choose.

Which Princeton streets are on co-op power?

Some are. Co-op homes buy power from the co-op, so there's no plan to shop. Oncor homes can pick a plan. We look up the service address for you.

Where can I rent in Princeton with bad credit?

Start with the older rental houses and duplexes in the original town core, where owners can make a judgment call. Companies renting the newer houses built to rent go by standard rules, but often approve with a bigger deposit or a co-signer.

Which school district serves my address?

Princeton ISD has most of town. A few streets at the edges belong to neighboring districts, so we check the district for each address.

How much cheaper is this market than McKinney?

Noticeably, especially per square foot for houses. McKinney charges more for its shops, finished roads and wider choice of rentals. The trade works best when your job is east or along US-380, and not so well if you drive far west. Our weekly numbers have Princeton two bedrooms near <span data-ar="a:princeton:2">$1,270</span> and McKinney's at <span data-ar="a:mckinney:2">$1,702</span>.

Are there real apartments here or mostly houses?

Both. New apartment communities keep opening along US-380 for less than McKinney prices, and houses built to rent make up a big share. Older homes in the town core round it out. What's open changes from month to month.

Is there an apartment locator near Princeton?

Yes. We cover the US-380 corridor from McKinney east through Lowry Crossing to Farmersville. In Princeton, that includes owners in the town core who look at credit one person at a time, not just the new communities on the highway.

## Near Princeton

McKinney is the next city west on US-380, Farmersville sits east, Wylie lies south past Lavon Lake, and Celina is across the county.

### McKinney

Craig Ranch · Adriatica Village · Historic Downtown McKinney

[McKinney →](/neighborhoods/mckinney/)

### Wylie

Downtown Wylie · FM-544 Corridor · SH-78 Corridor

[Wylie →](/neighborhoods/wylie/)

### Celina

Light Farms · Downtown Celina · Preston Road Corridor

[Celina →](/neighborhoods/celina/)

### Farmersville

Historic Downtown Farmersville · US-380 Corridor · East Farmersville

[Farmersville →](/neighborhoods/farmersville/)

## Looking in Princeton?

Give us a budget and a job location; we'll sort Princeton places by whether the US-380 drive still pays off.

[low credit options](/bad-credit-accepted/) · [new building specials on US-380](/move-in-specials/) · [what renting costs monthly](/true-monthly-cost/)

[Get my list →](/get-my-list/)

Free to renters · No credit pull · Brokered by Spirit Real Estate Group, TREC #562021