Texas · College Station-Bryan, TX metro area

Buying a home in Bryan, Texas

In Bryan, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $227,800, Brazos County's effective property tax rate is 1.54%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $7,446 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,195 a month.

Bryan home costs, fact by fact

About Bryan

Bryan lies in the College Station-Bryan, TX metro area, which ranks 176th among U.S. metro areas. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom is $1,151.

Reading the Bryan figures

Start with where Bryan lands among Texas cities. Owners here estimate their homes at $227,800, which is below the statewide median of $318,100. Among the 52 covered Texas cities, Dallas reads $320,700, Houston shows $277,800 and Garland shows $270,800, so Bryan is clearly lower than the large metros. Closer to its own level, Odessa shows $223,100, Waco reads $221,700 and Killeen reads $215,400, while Temple stands at $239,000; Tyler reads $235,300. San Antonio reads $235,700, Lubbock $212,400 and Corpus Christi $210,400. Those are owners' estimates, not sale prices.

The tax side is where Bryan looks different from its value. Brazos County has a 1.54% effective rate, and annual property tax comes to $4,568 for a median home the county values at $296,000. That county value is well above the city's own $227,800, so a bill measured against the county reads heavier than a buyer might expect from the city figure alone. Anyone budgeting should ask for the actual assessment on the specific house rather than lean on the county median.

Rent and ownership give a second reading. Typical rent is $1,195 a month, while HUD's Fair Market Rent benchmark for the College Station-Bryan area is $1,151, a federal reference figure and not a market median, so the benchmark sits below the median here. Dallas rent reads $1,472 and Garland $1,641, and Waco, at $1,165, is the closest in the group. Owners occupy 50.9% of homes in Bryan, against 42.4% in Dallas and 61.6% in Garland, with Lubbock at 51.2% almost level and Killeen at 49.5% just under.

Financing deserves its own look. Brazos County's 2025 HMDA filings cover 1,928 loans, and the origination outlay at the midpoint is $7,446. The interquartile range runs from $5,014 to $10,369, so the loans at the top of the range cost far more than those at the bottom, a spread that depends on loan size and type rather than on the city. Bryan lies in a metro area of 287,462 people that ranks 176th nationally, and the city itself counts 91,541 residents, fewer than Mesquite's 150,140 or Waco's 146,608 and well below Houston's 2,390,125.

A last cross-reading helps a buyer who is choosing between cities. Waco pairs a $221,700 estimate with a $1,165 rent, and Killeen pairs $215,400 with $1,208, so both land close to Bryan on both measures. Tyler reads $235,300 with $1,252 in rent, and Temple $239,000 with $1,231. Odessa shows $223,100 and $1,315, which puts its rent above Bryan's even though its value is lower. Corpus Christi, at $210,400, has rent of $1,292. Lubbock, at $212,400, carries $1,182. None of these pairings says which city is a better purchase; they only show how closely Bryan tracks the cities around its value.

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 Bryan

How much is property tax in Bryan?

Homeowners in Brazos County pay a median $4,568 a year in property tax, 1.54% of the county median home value of $296,000 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Bryan?

Home-purchase mortgages in Brazos County carried median total loan costs of $7,446 in 2025; half of the 1,928 loans fell between $5,014 and $10,369 (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 Bryan?

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 Bryan?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Bryan ($227,800) equals 15.9 years of the median gross rent ($1,195 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Bryan?

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.

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Sources

Texas · All states · Federal guides