Texas Homes for Sale Under 500K

On average, it will cost around $285,000 to buy a home in Texas. However, this median price can vary widely by location.

For example, homes in Austin have a median price of $540,000, while properties in Dallas cost around $489,000. On the other hand, Houston is more affordable, with a median price of $365,500. If you’re looking to buy a house in Texas, focus on the prices in the city you’re interested in rather than the state median price.

Marion is the safest place to live in Texas. Located just outside San Antonio, this small town boasts of extremely low violent and property crime rates.

FBI data places Marion’s crime rate at 186 per 100,000 people, putting it ahead of 93% of the communities statewide. That record makes it a great fit for families, retirees, or remote workers searching for a quiet suburban environment.

In addition to Marion, Ponder, Fulshear, and Highland Village are other safe places to live in Texas, with extremely low reported crime.

With no state income tax, the Lone Star State relies heavily on property taxes to fund local schools. This makes its rates the 9th highest in the nation.

To help lower costs, the state offers a homestead exemption that forgives $140,000 from your home’s assessed value for school taxes, or $200,000 if you’re over 65 or differently-abled. Even so, you can’t judge a home’s actual yearly cost by the listing price alone. Always factor the property’s real tax bill into your listing to check if you can afford the house in the long run.

In Texas, average HOA fees generally range from $140 to $400 every month. Total costs can differ depending on the desired location. Some neighborhood associations collect as little as $100 per year, while high-end properties can easily cross $1,000 per month to maintain upscale amenities.

The average rent for an apartment in Texas is $1,432, but this differs by location. In Austin, you have to pay around $2,200, while the number drops to $1,700 in Houston.

Yes, Texas offers a cost of living about 6% lower than the national average. But the actual expenses depend on where you live and how you spend. Groceries are about 4% lower than the US average, while utilities are roughly 1% lower. Healthcare is also slightly more affordable, at around 2% below average. Clothing, entertainment, and personal care expenses are about 1% higher in Texas, showing the trade-offs.

These costs shift as you move between cities in Texas. In Plano, expenses are 8% above the national benchmark. At the other end of the spectrum, Harlingen is 20% below the U.S. average.

It depends on how long you plan to stay and where you want to live. Texas can be relatively affordable for both renters and home buyers, but the gap between the two varies by city.

In places like Austin and Houston, local incomes are about 25% higher than what’s needed to afford an average apartment, giving renters more breathing room. At the same time, in many Texas markets, the monthly costs of homeownership are nearly comparable to renting, especially as home prices have cooled from their recent highs.

Yes, Texas offers one of the most generous state-level benefits for former military members.

The Texas Veterans Land Board provides home loans capped at $832,750. These loans require minimal or zero down payment and offer interest rate discounts for veterans with a 30% or higher VA disability rating. You can combine this program with standard federal VA benefits.

This offers a major advantage if you buy near key military areas like Fort Cavazos in Killeen, Joint Base San Antonio, or Fort Bliss in El Paso.

Yes, foreigners can buy a house in Texas. There are no federal restrictions preventing foreign nationals from purchasing property in Texas. However, some specific types of land, such as agricultural property or areas near military bases, may be subject to additional state or local regulations.

Texas offers no state income tax and a strong job market, but living here has some notable disadvantages. Summer brings months of severe heat, along with natural threats such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and dry spells. Rapid population growth causes heavy traffic and longer commutes in multiple cities.

Owning a car is practically mandatory, as transit options remain limited in most metros. Texas doesn’t have a state income tax, but this is balanced by some of the highest property taxes in the country. Additionally, ongoing water scarcity issues lead to strict conservation rules and usage restrictions for Texans.