Texas · Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area

Buying a home in Carrollton, Texas

In Carrollton, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $381,000, Denton County's effective property tax rate is 1.61%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $8,618 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,735 a month.

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

Carrollton home costs, fact by fact

About Carrollton

With 135,456 residents, Carrollton is a city in Texas and part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Denton County is $1,807, while the median gross rent in Carrollton is $1,735 per month.

Reading the Carrollton figures

Start with the county, because it shapes the cost of owning in Carrollton more than the home price does. Denton County applies an effective rate of 1.61%, and with homes valued around $437,200 the median yearly bill reaches $7,055. Owners in the city estimate their own homes lower, at $381,000, which is above the Texas figure of $318,100 and close to Lewisville ($378,500). Denton reports $348,200, Dallas $320,700, both below Carrollton.

Several cities sit higher. Plano reports $465,900 while Allen shows $464,100. Richardson comes in at $431,400, then Sugar Land at $430,200, then Round Rock at $418,600. Ownership differs among them too: Carrollton's 58.5% falls between Richardson (50.7%) or Allen (69.4%), well under Sugar Land (80.3%), while Lewisville has 46.3% owners and Dallas 42.4%. Georgetown, valued at $429,100, has 69.5% owners, a reminder that price and ownership do not always move together.

Rent is $1,735 a month, close to Round Rock ($1,763), Georgetown ($1,795). Lewisville comes in lower with $1,670, as does League City with $1,684, and Denton is lower still with $1,420. HUD's reference for the Dallas metro is $1,807 for a 2-bedroom and $2,275 for a bigger home. It is a benchmark and not a median, so it works as a guide for larger units. Loan costs complete the picture. In 2025, 14,429 loans in Denton County had a median cost of $8,618, with the typical spread from $5,699 to $12,167. The lower end of that band is a useful target when you shop for lenders. The result is a city where the purchase price is moderate by metro standards but the yearly tax and closing costs are among the larger items. It also helps to compare the city with named alternatives rather than the state alone. Pearland shows $356,300, a $1,860 rent and an owner share of 76.2%, close in price to Carrollton but quite different in tenure. Choosing among them is a question of tax, closing costs and how many households rent, not just price. Anyone choosing between renting and owning in Carrollton should hold the $1,735 rent against a mortgage payment plus the $7,055 county tax figure. That tax is a county median rather than a bill for any address, and values here are owners' estimates, so a specific property can differ in either direction. The loan range deserves a second look: the typical spread of $5,699 to $12,167 means two borrowers in the same county can face very different closing bills. Likewise, the Dallas-area HUD reference of $1,807 sits above Carrollton's own $1,735 rent, which is the usual relation between a benchmark and a median, not a sign that local leases are out of line.

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 Carrollton

How much is property tax in Carrollton?

Homeowners in Denton County pay a median $7,055 a year in property tax, 1.61% of the county median home value of $437,200 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Carrollton?

Home-purchase mortgages in Denton County carried median total loan costs of $8,618 in 2025; half of the 14,429 loans fell between $5,699 and $12,167 (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 Carrollton?

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 Carrollton?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Carrollton ($381,000) equals 18.3 years of the median gross rent ($1,735 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Carrollton?

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 Carrollton

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Sources

Texas · All states · Federal guides