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Travis County, TX

Rent vs Own in Travis County, Texas

Buying the median Travis County home costs roughly $3,441/mo against a $1,852/mo HUD rent, ownership runs well above the rent benchmark here, so the page focuses on why the stack is so heavy. Owner-occupied homes: 304,165.

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Renting is cheaper in Travis County

Ownership works out near $3,441/mo while a comparable 2-bedroom rents for $1,852/mo - a wide monthly miss for buyers. That is a $1,589/mo difference.

Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Travis County

Primary driver

The purchase price is the larger hurdle

Median household income is $99,611, so the 5.3x home-price-to-income ratio is the binding constraint here, even before the 7.8% of income that goes to property tax. Buyers in this band usually need a larger down payment or a longer commute to a cheaper ZIP before the monthly ownership math clears.

Decision signal 2

Renting compares well inside the state

Using the assumptions above, Travis County ranks 245 of 250 Texas counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 5 other Texas counties on this measure.

Decision signal 3

Ownership sits far above the rent benchmark

The $523,000 median home in Travis County carries $7,727/yr in tax at 1.48%. Against HUD's $1,852/mo 2-bedroom rent, the ownership stack (~$3,441/mo) is a wide miss - roughly $1,589/mo. Here the useful question is which line item (price, tax, or insurance) dominates the overage, not whether a small assumption change closes it.

Decision signal 4

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Travis County from $1,949/mo in FY2025 to $1,852/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $97/mo (-5.0%). A falling benchmark narrows the case for buying here, and it usually reflects HUD re-estimating the local market rather than existing rents being cut.

Methodology & disclaimer

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Property tax figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and rent figures come from HUD Fair Market Rents; both describe area medians, not individual transactions. Insurance is estimated at 0.35% of home value annually and closing costs, maintenance, HOA, and PMI are not included. Consult a licensed mortgage, tax, or real-estate professional before making a buy-or-rent decision based on these numbers.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$3,441
Mortgage (P&I) $2,645
Property Tax $644
Insurance (est.) $153
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,852
Studio$1,474
1-Bedroom$1,562
2-Bedroom$1,852
3-Bedroom$2,347
4-Bedroom$2,760

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$99,611
$8,301/mo
Home Price / Income
5.3x
Expensive (>5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
7.8%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Travis County owners still owes $3,000 or more every year - a recurring holding cost of a few hundred dollars a month, which is why "paid off" understates the real cost of keeping property here.

Unusually for Travis County, returns above $200,000 form the single largest block claiming it, a concentration only a minority of US counties show and a marker of high property values.

When the ownership stack already sits far above HUD rent, that annual bill is less a tie-breaker and more confirmation that holding costs stay material long after the loan is gone.

Bill bands are Census ACS counts of owner-occupied homes without a mortgage. Income brackets are IRS Statistics of Income county data for tax year 2022, counted over FILERS reporting real-estate taxes on Schedule A, which is a smaller group than homeowners: most filers take the standard deduction.

Nearby Counties

Harris County
Home: $276,600 Tax: $4,489/yr
Dallas County
Home: $303,000 Tax: $4,798/yr
Tarrant County
Home: $323,900 Tax: $5,334/yr
Bexar County
Home: $262,200 Tax: $4,535/yr
Collin County
Home: $475,600 Tax: $7,521/yr
Denton County
Home: $437,200 Tax: $7,055/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Travis County, Texas? ▼
Owning the median Travis County home is a wide miss versus HUD's 2-bedroom rent (about $1,589/mo more) on the standard stack. Treat this as a tenure/equity decision first; the cash-flow comparison alone will not favour buying here.
How much house can you afford in Travis County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $99,611 household here can afford up to $298,833 -- about $224,167 short of this county's $523,000 median home. That gap is typically closed with a larger down payment, dual incomes, or a longer search outside the median price band.
What is the median home price in Travis County? ▼
$523,000, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 1.48% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
What is the average rent in Travis County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,852/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,286/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
How does Travis County compare to other Texas counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 250 Texas counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Travis County lands at spot 245, putting it in the more rent-favorable quarter of the state. The <a href="/states/texas">Texas state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
Is rent going up or down in Travis County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 5.0% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPropertyTax

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025

Verify with HUD →