Published November 9, 2026

Texas City vs Austin, TX: Home Prices, Insurance Costs and Which Fits Your Job

Written by April Aberle

Texas City vs Austin, TX: Home Prices, Insurance Costs and Which Fits Your Job header image.

The choice between the Gulf Coast and Central Texas comes down to how much house you want to buy and where you need to work. Both markets offer completely different daily routines, and they carry very different carrying costs.

Austin commands a higher entry price, while coastal properties carry higher insurance premiums. Comparing the two requires looking past the sticker price to see what your monthly payment covers in each location.

Key Takeaway

If your paycheck isn't tied to Central Texas, Texas City is the cheaper place to buy: single-family homes sell at a lower price per square foot than Austin, and the data shows deals typically close under asking. Count Gulf windstorm and flood insurance against those savings before you celebrate. If your job requires you in Austin, the distance rules out Texas City and Austin is the pick.

Who This Guide Is For

You're deciding whether to buy a home in Texas City on the Gulf Coast or in Austin and need to know what each costs once insurance, taxes and the location of your job are counted.

Home Prices in Texas City vs Austin

Unless your job ties you to Central Texas, Texas City buys more house per dollar. Single-family homes sell at a median $149 per square foot, with 5.3 months of supply and a sale-to-list ratio that leaves buyers room to negotiate.

Gulf windstorm and flood insurance claw back part of that gap, though, so the honest comparison is price per square foot minus the insurance bill, not sticker price alone. The two cities are about 200 miles apart, so splitting the difference with a commute isn't an option.

Texas City Home Prices

Single-family homes in Texas City sell for a median $296,882, up 0.2% year over year. The all-homes median sits at $289,785, down slightly over the same period, but that drop comes almost entirely from single-family-like stock since only seven non-single-family sales occurred during that window.

You aren't paying a momentum premium to enter this market. The trade-off is that equity builds mainly from your monthly payments rather than rapid appreciation, and a short hold is unlikely to be rescued by rising values. Plan to stay long enough to cover your buying and selling costs.

Austin Home Prices

Check Austin's current median sale price and year-over-year change on Redfin's Data Center to compare the two markets directly. A higher entry price in Central Texas means a larger down payment at the exact same percentage rate.

A softening Austin market can shrink the price gap quickly. Compare live listings in both cities during the exact same week rather than relying on a single median from past months.

Price per Square Foot Compared

The same 1,800-square-foot house is about $268,200 at Texas City's single-family median per square foot. Multiply Austin's current single-family price per square foot by 1,800 to find the Austin version and calculate the dollar gap.

Price per square foot blends home ages, lot sizes and waterfront premiums together. Use it to size the gap, then compare similar listings before making decisions based on it.

How Much Room Buyers Have to Negotiate

Months of supply and sale-to-list ratios tell you who has the upper hand. These figures show how long homes sit and how much sellers are willing to bend. In a market with rising inventory, buyers can ask for concessions. In a tight market, sellers hold firm.

Negotiating in Texas City

With 5.3 months of single-family supply, Texas City sits at the buyer-leaning edge of balanced. A 97.4% sale-to-list ratio means a typical deal closes about 2.6% under asking, which is roughly $7,700 on a home near the median. Buyers have room to ask for repairs, seller-paid closing costs or a longer option period.

About 15.5% of single-family homes still sold above list, so this advantage applies mostly to homes that have sat on the market.

Negotiating in Austin

Check Austin's months of supply and sale-to-list ratios for the same window to see what you can ask for there. If Austin shows more supply than Texas City, then negotiating room is not Texas City's advantage.

Citywide Austin figures hide wide swings between the urban core and outer suburbs. Ask for submarket data on any Austin area you're serious about.

Insurance, Flood and Property Taxes

The costs that narrow Texas City's price advantage happen after the sale closes. You have to carry the 1,800-square-foot example through property taxes and insurance to see the real monthly payment. These carrying costs vary wildly from street to street, so get your quotes early.

Windstorm and Homeowners Insurance

Galveston County sits in the state's coastal windstorm area while Travis County does not. Per Texas Department of Insurance figures cited in local reporting, the average Travis County homeowners premium was $3,245 in 2025. Galveston County homeowners on a wind-excluded policy plus a separate Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) policy averaged about $1,347 for the base policy plus $2,919 to TWIA, for a combined total near $4,266.

TWIA's designated catastrophe area currently includes all 14 first-tier coastal counties. To obtain coverage, a property must be located in that area, be denied by an authorized insurer, and be certified by the state as built to applicable windstorm codes. Get windstorm and homeowners quotes on the specific house during your option period, and ask whether TWIA coverage and a windstorm certificate are required.

Flood Zones and the Texas City Levee

Texas City is ringed by a federal hurricane levee. A levee reduces storm-surge exposure but doesn't erase rain flooding or lender flood-insurance rules. Some areas buyers consider, including bayfront and canal properties, sit entirely outside of it.

Look up the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and ask the seller for an elevation certificate.

Property Taxes

For 2026, a Texas City homestead's combined rate is roughly $1.96 per $100 of value. Texas City ISD carries a $1.1543 combined rate, the City of Texas City's rate is $0.4797, and Galveston County's adopted rate is $0.324068.

A City of Austin and Austin ISD homestead's combined 2026 rate is about $2.121064 per $100. Austin ISD sits at $0.9184, Travis County at $0.386210, and the City of Austin at $0.579948. A lower home value can offset a higher rate, or not. The final bill depends on the appraised value of the specific house and any MUD or PID levies on top.

HOA and Community Fees

Amenity communities on the Texas City side add monthly dues that older neighborhoods don't carry. Dues can rise and special assessments happen. Review HOA fees for the specific subdivision, and ask the HOA for current dues, the reserve study and any planned special assessments before your option period ends.

Jobs, Location and Lifestyle

The job location is the first cut for anyone comparing these two regions. A daily commute between the Gulf Coast and Central Texas is not an option. Once you know where your paycheck comes from, you can weigh the daily lifestyle. Both cities offer distinct outdoor recreation and weather patterns. The pros and cons of living in Texas City help clarify what to expect.

Driving Distance Between the Cities

The drive between Texas City and Austin makes a daily commute impossible. A home in Texas City means your work life sits in the Houston-Galveston region or is fully remote.

If your employer may call you back to an Austin office, Texas City's savings carry a real risk. Confirm in writing that your employer won't require in-person Austin attendance before you buy.

Texas City Employers

Texas City's local job base centers on petrochemical refining, the port and related industrial work. Houston-area and Clear Lake employers are also within reach, so review commute times for specific routes. Some neighborhoods sit within sight of the industrial corridor along the bay. Visit at different times of day, including night, to judge noise, light and traffic yourself.

Austin Employers

Per Opportunity Austin's job postings reporting, the top employers posting jobs in the Austin area include Amazon, the State of Texas, The University of Texas at Austin, HCA Healthcare, and Tesla. Opportunity Austin data also shows large regional employers such as Austin Community College with 5,000 employees and NXP Semiconductors with 2,662 employees.

If your job is one of these and on-site, Austin's premium is the cost of the paycheck. For a fully remote worker, Austin's higher price buys amenities rather than income. Weigh it as a lifestyle cost, not a career requirement.

Outdoor Recreation

Galveston Bay fishing, boating and nearby Galveston beaches sit on one side of this comparison. Lakes, springs and Hill Country trails sit on the other. Water access draws buyers to Texas City, and that same proximity is what drives the insurance line above. Review things to do in the area to see which fits your weekends better.

Weather and Storm Season

Texas City deals with Gulf humidity and the annual hurricane season. Austin sees drier heat and flash-flood risk in the Hill Country. Storm season can disrupt closings and insurance binding, so ask your lender how a named Gulf storm could affect insurance binding and your closing date. Review weather, insurance and flood details for a full picture of the coastal climate.

Where to Look in Texas City

If Texas City survives the cost and job cuts, you need to know where to start looking. The city offers everything from canal-front homes to inland master-planned subdivisions, and prices and insurance exposure change drastically depending on which side of the levee you choose.

Lago Mar

Lago Mar is built around a man-made crystal lagoon. The Lago Mar Crystal Lagoon is 12 acres, per the developer's official community website, and is described as the largest crystal-clear lagoon in Texas with public access. It suits buyers who want swimming and beach-like amenities without owning waterfront.

The lagoon comes with HOA dues and possibly special district taxes. Ask for current dues and the full tax rate on any address before you compare it with an Austin suburb.

Bay and Lagoon-Front Areas

These are Texas City's priciest addresses because of direct water views and access. Waterfront is also where windstorm and flood exposure, and premiums, are highest. Quote insurance before you fall for the view.

New-Construction Communities

Builder communities offer modern floor plans, current energy and wind codes, and sometimes builder incentives. Newer communities often carry MUD or PID taxes on top of the base rate. Ask the builder or title company for the total property tax rate, including any MUD or PID, in writing.

Tiki Island

Tiki Island is its own small village beside Texas City, near the Galveston causeway, known for canal lots where boats tie up behind the house. This is for buyers who want to keep a boat at home.

Canal lots bring the most direct water exposure on this page. Check the FEMA flood zone, the elevation certificate and both wind and flood quotes for the specific lot.

Older Established Neighborhoods

The lowest entry prices in Texas City usually sit in established streets of older single-family homes, and this is where the price-per-square-foot advantage over Austin is largest. Older roofs, plumbing and foundations can raise insurance premiums and repair costs. Confirm the roof age and order a wind-mitigation review along with the general inspection.

How to Decide Between Texas City and Austin

Where does your paycheck come from? If you must report in person in Austin, stop here and focus on Austin. If you work in the Houston-Galveston area or remotely, keep reading.
How much of the price gap survives insurance? Run the 1,800-square-foot example in the home prices section, then subtract the insurance and tax lines.
Do you want water access or the Hill Country on weekends? Review the outdoor recreation options, then Lago Mar, the bayfront areas, and Tiki Island if water wins.
Do you need to sell an Austin home before you buy? Review how much room buyers have to negotiate and the FAQ on timing a sale and purchase.

If you want the most house per dollar and you work in the Houston-Galveston area or remotely, start with Texas City's older established neighborhoods, where the single-family median per square foot is the lowest figure on this page. If you want room to negotiate repairs or closing costs, start with Texas City single-family resale homes that have been listed a while because 5.3 months of supply means typical deals close under asking.

If you want beach-style swimming without owning waterfront, start with Lago Mar because the community is built around a 12-acre crystal lagoon. If you want a boat tied up behind the house, start with Tiki Island because its canal lots offer direct water access. If your job requires you on site in Austin, start with Austin because the drive between the cities makes a Texas City home unworkable for an in-person Austin job.

Buying a Home in Texas City from Austin

Moving across the state requires coordinating timelines, financing and local inspections. Review schools, homes and commutes for movers, and check buyer closing costs and mortgage rates to set your budget. April Aberle with RE/MAX Crossroads Realty helps out-of-area buyers compare neighborhoods and manage the purchase process locally. The figures on this page are for comparison; confirm all rates with a lender, an insurer and the tax office.

At a Glance

Median sale price, all homes: $289,785 (Texas City, 90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Median sale price, single family: $296,882 (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Year-over-year price change: -2.6% all homes; +0.2% single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30). The two series differ by only 7 non-single-family sales, so treat the gap with caution.
Homes sold: 217 all homes; 210 single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Median days on market: 62 all homes; 58 single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Sale-to-list ratio: 97.3% all homes; 97.4% single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Sold above list: 15% all homes; 15.5% single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Months of supply: 5.4 all homes; 5.3 single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Active inventory: 383 all homes; 367 single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Median price per square foot: $148 all homes; $149 single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30)

Texas City vs Austin FAQs

Is Texas City Safer than Austin?

Check the FBI Crime Data Explorer for 2025 violent and property offenses per 1,000 residents for both the Texas City and Austin police departments. Reporting coverage varies by agency, so review the data directly. Review safety and crime data for local details.

What County Is Texas City, TX In?

Texas City is in Galveston County. The Galveston Central Appraisal District (GCAD) appraises all property in the county. The 2026 property tax protest deadline is May 15, 2026, or 30 days after the Notice of Appraised Value is delivered, whichever is later.

What ZIP Codes Cover Texas City, TX?

The standard USPS ZIP codes assigned to Texas City, TX, are 77590 and 77591, with 77592 serving as a PO-Box-only ZIP code. The primary ZIP code is 77590. Confirm the city limits and taxing jurisdictions for a specific address, since a ZIP code can cross them.

How Far Is Texas City from Houston?

The driving distance from Texas City to downtown Houston is approximately 41 to 43 miles, taking about 44 to 50 minutes depending on traffic. Check mapping data for exact mileage to the NASA Johnson Space Center from your specific address.

How Far Is Texas City from Galveston?

Check mapping tools for the exact mileage and route to Galveston Island from your address. Drive times will vary based on traffic along Interstate 45.

Is Sales Tax Higher in Texas City or Austin?

Check the Texas Comptroller's site for current combined local sales tax rates in both cities. Texas has no state income tax in either location.

Can I Sell My Austin Home and Buy in Texas City at the Same Time?

Yes, depending on your financing. Texas City's all-homes median of 62 days on market and 5.4 months of supply give you time to negotiate a sale-contingent offer. Ask a lender about bridge financing and how carrying two homes affects your qualifying.

What Is Texas City Known For?

Texas City is known for refining, housing the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery with a capacity of 631,000 barrels per calendar day. It is also known for the Texas City Dike, which reaches 28,200 feet into Galveston Bay.