Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	May 05, 2015
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	TRANSCONTINENTAL REALTY INVESTORS INC
Entity Trading Symbol	TCI
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2015
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Central Index Key	0000733590
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		8,717,767
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1