Oklahoma · 53rd largest metro area

Buying a home in Tulsa, Oklahoma

In Tulsa, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $205,300, Tulsa County's effective property tax rate is 0.97%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $6,696 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,052 a month.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Tulsa home costs, fact by fact

About Tulsa

Tulsa, Oklahoma, has a city population of 415,154 and forms the Tulsa, OK metro area, ranked 53rd among US metro areas. Owners occupy 51.9% of homes.

Reading the Tulsa figures

Tulsa reads as the lowest-valued of the four Oklahoma cities on these pages. Owners report $205,300, compared with $234,000 for the state and $231,300 in Oklahoma City. Norman owners estimate $250,100 and Broken Arrow owners $250,400.

Rent follows the same direction at $1,052 a month, under Oklahoma City's $1,130 and Broken Arrow's $1,320. Even so, HUD's benchmark for the Tulsa metro is $1,229, above the census rent. Ownership is less common than in Oklahoma City or Broken Arrow: 51.9%, against 58.6% and 72%, and close to Norman's 53.3%.

Tulsa County's tax picture is moderate. The effective rate is 0.97%, and the median annual bill is $2,227, with county homes holding a median value of $230,400. That annual amount is a meaningful sum when the city value is this low.

Closing costs call for attention. The 2025 county median was $6,696 over 6,060 loans, and the central range ran from $4,882 to $9,847. Next to a house priced like Tulsa's, that is a sizeable outlay, and the top of the range exceeds the city's yearly tax bill several times over.

Calculate for Oklahoma

If you buy

Oklahoma state transfer tax

Documentary stamp tax (68 O.S. 3201): $0.75 for each $500 of consideration, or fractional part of $500 ($1.50 per $1,000, 0.15%). Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$234,000
State transfer tax$351
Share of the price0.15% of the price
Who paysThe seller

Default price: the Oklahoma median value of owner-occupied homes, $234,000 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: Divide consideration (minus any lien that stays on the property) by $500, round up to the next whole unit, multiply by $0.75. Applies only when the net consideration is more than $100. Consideration includes any debt the buyer assumes. Who pays: The statute puts the tax on any person who makes, signs, issues or sells the deed, or for whose benefit it is made, which points first at the seller in a normal sale. It does not say whether a contract can move the cost. On a foreclosure deed to a non-lender grantee, the purchaser pays. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, the tax on the mortgage, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Oklahoma transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Oklahoma state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Questions about buying a home in Tulsa

How much is property tax in Tulsa?

Homeowners in Tulsa County pay a median $2,227 a year in property tax, 0.97% of the county median home value of $230,400 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Tulsa?

Home-purchase mortgages in Tulsa County carried median total loan costs of $6,696 in 2025; half of the 6,060 loans fell between $4,882 and $9,847 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Tulsa?

Oklahoma has no transfer tax by that name but taxes deeds through a documentary stamp tax of $0.75 for each $500 of consideration, or part of $500, which is $375 on a $250,000 sale. It applies only when the value exceeds $100, and stamps must be on the deed before recording.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Tulsa?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Tulsa ($205,300) equals 16.3 years of the median gross rent ($1,052 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

Oklahoma rules that apply in Tulsa

Other large cities in Oklahoma

Who licenses each trade in Oklahoma · All covered cities

Sources

Oklahoma · All states · Federal guides