Texas · Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area

Buying a home in League City, Texas

In League City, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $360,000, Galveston County's effective property tax rate is 1.41%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $8,822 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,684 a month.

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

League City home costs, fact by fact

About League City

League City is a city in Texas, with a population of 118,456. It lies in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, ranked 5th among U.S. metro areas. The median value of owner-occupied homes, as estimated by owners rather than a sale price, is $360,000, and 74.7% of homes are owner-occupied.

Reading the League City figures

League City's median home is valued at $360,000 by its owners, above the Texas figure of $318,100 and above Dallas, where it is $320,700. Several covered cities sit in the same neighborhood of value. Pearland reports $356,300. Denton is valued at $348,200 by its owners, College Station at $346,700. Carrollton reports $381,000, a little higher. Lewisville reports $378,500, while Sugar Land climbs to $430,200. Owners gave these values, so no closing price is involved.

Ownership is the strongest feature of this city, with 74.7% of households owning. Pearland reaches 76.2%. Sugar Land reaches 80.3%. Georgetown has 69.5%. Denton has 50%. Lewisville has 46.3%, and College Station only 35.4%, so their owner shares are much smaller. League City therefore reads as a city where most households already own, and the market around it should be read that way.

Rent is $1,684 a month at the census median. Pearland shows $1,860, which is higher. Richardson shows $1,857, also higher. Lewisville shows $1,670, a close match. Denton, with $1,420, and College Station, with $1,194, are lower. HUD lists $1,497 for its smaller-home tier in the Houston metro zone, plus $2,017 for the larger one. It is a federal benchmark and not a market median, and League City's census median falls between the two.

The tax picture comes from Galveston County. The median annual bill is $4,442, the effective rate is 1.41%, and a typical county home is valued at $314,600. League City's median value sits above that county figure, so the county bill probably understates what a typical purchase here would face. Only the assessed value of a specific home settles it, and a buyer at the $360,000 median should ask for that figure early.

For financing, lenders recorded 4,248 loans in 2025, with a median total cost of $8,822. The middle of the distribution ran from $5,677 to $12,444. A buyer should expect closing costs in that neighborhood and weigh them against the yearly tax bill when budgeting. With an owner share this high, many sellers here are themselves owners, so the figures above describe an owner-dominated market.

The city has 118,456 residents, a similar count to Richardson's 118,221, though Richardson has a far smaller owner share, 50.7%. League City belongs to the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro area, ranked 5th nationally with 7,796,182 people, and spans 2 counties. The figures above come from Galveston County. Its $4,442 tax bill and $8,822 loan-cost median give a buyer a yearly anchor and an up-front anchor to hold against the $360,000 value, and a property on the other side of the county line may come with a different tax schedule.

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 League City

How much is property tax in League City?

Homeowners in Galveston County pay a median $4,442 a year in property tax, 1.41% of the county median home value of $314,600 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in League City?

Home-purchase mortgages in Galveston County carried median total loan costs of $8,822 in 2025; half of the 4,248 loans fell between $5,677 and $12,444 (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 League City?

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 League City?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in League City ($360,000) equals 17.8 years of the median gross rent ($1,684 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in League City?

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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Texas rules that apply in League City

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Sources

Texas · All states · Federal guides