Texas · 126th largest metro area

Buying a home in Brownsville, Texas

In Brownsville, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $139,900, Cameron County's effective property tax rate is 1.5%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $9,677 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $923 a month.

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

Brownsville home costs, fact by fact

About Brownsville

Buyers in Brownsville will find that 61.7% of homes are owner-occupied, with a median home value of $139,900, the median value of owner-occupied homes as estimated by owners, not a sale price. Brownsville is part of the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area, ranked 126th in the country.

Reading the Brownsville figures

Brownsville shows the lowest owner estimate among the cities named on this page. Owners put their homes at $139,900, compared with $318,100 for Texas as a whole. Wichita Falls shows $156,800, Beaumont $166,400, and Dallas, with $320,700, is the far end of the comparison. These are owners' own estimates rather than sale prices, so they describe how residents see their homes, not what a buyer will pay at closing.

Rent is just as low. Brownsville's $923 a month compares with $1,022 in Wichita Falls, $1,121 in Beaumont, even $1,472 in Dallas. HUD's reference for the Brownsville-Harlingen metro is higher, at $1,042 for a 2-bedroom and $1,393 for a bigger home. That reference is a HUD benchmark, not a market median, and the gap against the $923 median says more about how the two are built than about leases in town.

Ownership is comparatively common. 61.7% of households own, a little above El Paso (60.8%) or San Angelo (61.2%), and well above Dallas (42.4%). Lubbock reports $212,400, Corpus Christi $210,400, so Brownsville's owners estimate a clearly lower level while holding a higher share than either city, whose shares are 51.2% and 57.9%. With rent and home values both low, the decision for many buyers is less about the headline price and more about recurring costs. Those costs are significant. Cameron County taxes homes at an effective 1.5%, producing a median yearly bill of $2,042 where homes are valued around $136,500. Next to the $923 rent, that tax is a fixed obligation that does not shrink if the mortgage is small. The loan side is where Brownsville stands out. In the 2025 HMDA data, 2,151 loans in Cameron County carried a median cost of $9,677, with the typical spread running from $6,484 to $12,549. In practice, a low-priced purchase can still arrive with a large fixed charge, and comparing lender estimates in writing is worth the effort. The low rent and low value together mean that renters and buyers alike face a smaller monthly outlay here than in Dallas. Brownsville has no sector breakdown on Payotte, so these city-level numbers are the full picture. Edinburg reports a rent of $996 with 53.3% owners, McAllen $1,049 with 59.5%, so Brownsville's $923 rent is the lowest of that trio, and its owner share of 61.7% is the highest. For a household weighing renting against buying, the monthly rent and the fixed yearly tax of $2,042 are the two numbers that stay constant whatever the mortgage rate does.

Calculate for Texas

If you buy

Texas state transfer tax

Texas has no real estate transfer tax. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$318,100
State transfer tax$0
Share of the price—

Default price: the Texas median value of owner-occupied homes, $318,100 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: No transfer tax exists. Buyers pay county recording fees and a state-set title insurance premium. Who pays: No transfer tax to assign. Recording fees and the title insurance premium appear on the closing statement. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Texas 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: Texas 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 Brownsville

How much is property tax in Brownsville?

Homeowners in Cameron County pay a median $2,042 a year in property tax, 1.5% of the county median home value of $136,500 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Brownsville?

Home-purchase mortgages in Cameron County carried median total loan costs of $9,677 in 2025; half of the 2,151 loans fell between $6,484 and $12,549 (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 Brownsville?

Texas has no real estate transfer tax. Article VIII, Section 29 of the Texas Constitution, added November 3, 2015, says no law enacted after January 1, 2016 may impose a transfer tax on a transaction that conveys fee simple title to real property.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Brownsville?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Brownsville ($139,900) equals 12.6 years of the median gross rent ($923 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Brownsville?

Across Texas, the main hazards for home insurance are flood, tornado, wind and hail, and the insurer of last resort is Texas FAIR Plan Association (TFPA). Texas gets more tornadoes than any other state, according to the Texas Department of Insurance; on the coast, windstorm coverage comes from a separate policy, often from TWIA, in 14 coastal counties plus part of Harris County.

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

Texas rules that apply in Brownsville

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Sources

Texas · All states · Federal guides