Surfside Beach at a glance
- Population: about 692, 906th by size in Texas of 1,224 places (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: 640 people counted in the 2020 Census (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: about 8.1% growth over the 2020 Census base (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Texas places: 906th by size among 1,224 communities (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: ahead of around 26% of Texas places in population terms (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: 28.9531, -95.2838 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Oyster Creek, TX (4 mi); Freeport, TX (4 mi); Clute, TX (9 mi); Richwood, TX (10 mi); Jones Creek, TX (11 mi); US Census Bureau population estimates.
- Nearest smaller communities: Quintana, TX (4 mi); Liverpool, TX (24 mi); Bonney, TX (26 mi), each a US Census place.
What a personal loan costs in Surfside Beach
With an installment loan the payment is fixed for the life of the loan, so the schedule is predictable from the first month to the last.
The advertised interest rate leaves out fees that the APR captures, which is why APR is the number to weigh; try the personal loan calculator before you apply.
Stretching the term lowers the monthly payment but raises the total interest you pay, so the smallest payment is not automatically the cheapest loan.
Set the loan amount from the expense itself rather than the maximum you are approved for, and keep the payment within your existing budget.
Texas lending rules that apply in Surfside Beach
Each row below is a Texas rule with its publisher and the date it was retrieved.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | License required for non-depository lenders charging more than 10% interest; Chapter 342 governs consumer loans (Tex. Fin. Code § 342.051) Source says: Non-depository lenders who engage in making, transacting, or collecting loans with a rate of interest greater than 10% must be licensed by the OCCC. | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) Source says: The OCCC licenses and regulates non-depository lenders in the state of Texas. | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 10% per year maximum; a greater rate is usurious unless otherwise provided by law (Tex. Fin. Code § 302.001) Source says: The maximum rate or amount of interest is 10 percent a year except as otherwise provided by law. | Texas Legislature (Texas Constitution and Statutes) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Legal via licensed credit access businesses (payday/title-loan brokers); the third-party lender itself is not licensed (Tex. Fin. Code ch. 393) Source says: the credit access business that serves as the broker is the licensee in this regulated industry | Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Surfside Beach
These steps are the ones that most affect the offer you receive in Surfside Beach:
- Pull your free credit reports and dispute any error — it is the cheapest way to improve the rate you are offered.
- Run your figures through the personal loan calculator on this site so you know the payment before a lender quotes one.
- Pre-qualify with at least three lenders and compare the APR, not the interest rate.
- Check that the lender is licensed in Texas using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.