Texas · 110th largest metro area

Buying a home in Killeen, Texas

In Killeen, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $215,400, Bell County's effective property tax rate is 1.44%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $6,992 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,208 a month.

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

Killeen home costs, fact by fact

About Killeen

Killeen is a city of 160,616 residents that lies in the Killeen-Temple, TX metro area, ranked 110th among U.S. metro areas. The median home value is $215,400, a figure estimated by owners rather than a sale price, and 49.5% of homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the Killeen figures

Killeen is among the lower-cost places on the Texas list. Owners estimate the median home at $215,400, compared with $318,100 for the state. Dallas comes to $320,700 and Garland drops to $270,800. Within its own range, Killeen is close to Waco, where owners report $221,700. Lubbock reports $212,400. Corpus Christi stands at $210,400, against $209,600 for Pasadena. Amarillo sits lower, at $196,900, and Laredo lower again. These are owners' estimates, not recorded sale prices.

Rent is $1,208 a month at the census median. That is close to Pasadena's $1,213, near Waco's $1,165, but below Corpus Christi ($1,292), San Antonio ($1,324) or Dallas ($1,472). HUD lists $1,138 for its smaller-home tier in the Killeen-Temple metro zone, plus $1,576 for the larger tier. It is a federal benchmark and not a market median, and the census median falls between its tiers. For a buyer, the gap between rent and a monthly mortgage payment is the number to estimate.

Ownership covers 49.5% of households, almost identical to Waco (49.4%), though below Garland (61.6%), Mesquite (62.8%) or Laredo (64.1%). Lubbock has 51.2%, and San Antonio 52.2%, slightly higher. A near-even split between owners and renters is typical for several of the cities in this price band, and it means renting remains a real alternative for a buyer weighing the decision.

Bell County's tax bill is modest in dollars but not in rate. The median annual bill is $3,476, the effective rate is 1.44%, and a typical county home is valued at $241,000. Killeen's median value is below the county figure, so a typical purchase here would sit under the value behind that bill. Setting the county's $3,476 beside Killeen's $215,400 gives a feel for the yearly cost of ownership.

The cost of the loan is also modest. In 2025, lenders recorded 5,586 loans in the county, with a median total cost of $6,992. The middle of the distribution ran from $3,782 to $9,893, so even the upper end stays under the median costs reported for several larger Texas counties on other Payotte pages. Still, a written estimate shows where a particular loan lands.

Killeen has 160,616 residents, more than Waco's 146,608 but fewer than Lubbock's 272,086. Taken together, the picture is of a lower-valued city with a rent near $1,208, an even owner split and a county tax rate of 1.44%, which is the profile of a modest, steady market. It belongs to the Killeen-Temple metro area, ranked 110th nationally with 509,487 people, and lies in a single county, so the Bell County figures apply throughout.

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 Killeen

How much is property tax in Killeen?

Homeowners in Bell County pay a median $3,476 a year in property tax, 1.44% of the county median home value of $241,000 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Killeen?

Home-purchase mortgages in Bell County carried median total loan costs of $6,992 in 2025; half of the 5,586 loans fell between $3,782 and $9,893 (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 Killeen?

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 Killeen?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Killeen ($215,400) equals 14.9 years of the median gross rent ($1,208 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Killeen?

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