Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state before you talk to any lender. Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state.
Pawn Shops vs Payday Loans in San Marcos, TX
5 pawn shops in and around San Marcos — 5.7 per 100,000 residents, compared with 4.3 across Texas. Call ahead to ask what they're buying and lending on today: inventory needs change weekly. San Marcos ranks #23 of 94 Texas cities with pawn shops by shops per resident.
- Pawn shops
- 5
- Pawn shops per 100k
- 5.7
- Texas: 4.3
- Big-chain shops
- 2
- Payday & loan stores
- 9
- Population
- 87,775
Pawn shops in San Marcos: addresses and phone numbers
| Pawn shop | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash America PawnChain | 1107-A Tx-80 San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 396-1255 | find.cashamerica.us |
| Cash America PawnChain | 1711 S. Ih 35 San Marcos, TX 78666 | — | — |
| Cash Box Pawn | 1515 Aquarena Springs Dr #100 San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 558-7296 | cashboxpawn.com |
| Cash Box Pawn - Guadalupe St. | 164 S Guadalupe St San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 396-7296 | cashboxpawn.com |
| Smart Pawn and Jewelry | 1711 I 35 N Frontage Rd San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 396-5626 | firstcash.com |
Pawn shops vs payday loan stores in San Marcos
San Marcos has 9 payday, installment and title loan stores but only 5 pawn shops.
Pawn shops
5
5.7 per 100k residents
Payday & loan stores
9
10.3 per 100k residents
8 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in San Marcos: Speedy Cash (2), 1st Franklin Financial (1), ACE Cash Express (1), Lendmark Financial Services (1), OneMain Financial (1).
Borrowing $500 for one month: payday vs pawn vs credit union
| Option | How it works | Cost for one month |
|---|---|---|
| Payday loan (~662%+ APR) | $75.00 fee every 2 weeks, renewed once | $150.00 |
| Pawn loan (example: 20% a month) | You leave an item worth more than the loan; repay to get it back | $100.00 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR + $20 fee) | Repaid in installments; membership required | $31.67 |
- Payday cost, share of monthly household income in San Marcos
- 3.2%
- Pawn cost, share of monthly household income in San Marcos
- 2.2%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 2.6 days of income
Payday: a typical fee of $75 on a $500 loan for 2 weeks, paid twice for a one-month loan (Texas payday rules are not set in dollars or payday loans are not allowed). Pawn: an example rate of 20% a month; pawn fees and interest are set by Texas law and vary by shop — ask for the total in writing. PAL: payday alternative loan from a federal credit union, capped at 28% APR plus an application fee of up to $20.
Pawn loan vs payday loan: the key differences
| Pawn loan | Payday loan in TX | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | An item of value (jewelry, gold, electronics, tools, firearms) and an ID | A bank account, proof of income and an ID |
| Credit check | None | Usually none |
| How much you get | A fraction of the item's resale value | Based on your income, up to the state limit |
| If you can't repay | The shop keeps the item; no collections and no credit damage | Fees pile up with renewals; the debt can go to collections |
| Bank account access | None | Lender can debit your account or cash your check |
| Rules in Texas | Pawnbrokers are licensed and regulated by Texas; fees, terms and holding periods are set by state law | Allowed, up to No limit (CSO Model); typical APR ~662%+ |
San Marcos at a glance
- Median household income
- $55,478
- Texas: $81,963
- Poverty rate
- 23.3%
- Texas: 13.9%
- Households under $25,000
- 21.4%
- Texas: 15.0%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 2.6 days of income
Payday and installment loan stores in San Marcos
For comparison: storefront payday, installment and title lenders in San Marcos with addresses, phone numbers and hours.
| Address | Phone | Hours | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1204 Texas Hwy 123 A San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 392-8941 | — | 4.8 |
| 706 E Hopkins St San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 504-7790 | — | 4.9 |
| 1104 Thorpe Ln Unit W San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 710-0038 | — | 4.9 |
| 1200 TX-80 Ste 104 San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 392-8150 | — | 4.9 |
| 900 Bugg Ln Unit 210 San Marcos, TX 78666 | (737) 214-9998 | — | 4.5 |
| 929 TX-80 Unit B San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 396-1460 | — | 4.1 |
| 175 S L B J Dr San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 353-5913 | — | 4.6 |
|
Texas Car Title and Payday Loan Services
1 store in San Marcos
texascartitleandpaydayloanservicesinc.com
|
|||
| 102 Wonder World Dr Ste 205 San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 738-8031 | — | 4.8 |
| Shamrock Finance 101 W San Antonio St Ste D San Marcos, TX 78666 | (512) 396-8833 | — | 4.9 |
Pawn shops near San Marcos
More about San Marcos
Pawn shop listings: © Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive 2.0), including Foursquare OS Places and © OpenStreetMap contributors; filtered and de-duplicated by us. Population, income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Call ahead to confirm hours and what a shop buys or lends on.