Texas · Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area

Buying a home in Leander, Texas

In Leander, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $506,200, Williamson County's effective property tax rate is 1.61%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $7,926 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,939 a month.

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

Leander home costs, fact by fact

About Leander

Leander, Texas has a median home value of $506,200 as owners estimate it, not a sale price, and 73.4% of its homes are owner-occupied. Median gross rent is $1,939 a month, and HUD's two-bedroom Fair Market Rent for the county is $1,817.

Reading the Leander figures

Leander's owner-estimated median of $506,200 runs far above the $318,100 given for Texas. Frisco reports $642,100 and Austin reports $555,300, while The Woodlands reports $511,700, McKinney reports $471,800, and Plano reports $465,900. Round Rock sits lower at $418,600, and Dallas reports just $320,700, so the state spread is wide and Leander lands in its upper-middle part. Leander's rent of $1,939 a month is close to the $1,932 reported for Allen and the $1,957 reported for Sugar Land, while Frisco reports $2,014 and Austin reports $1,729. HUD's benchmark for Williamson County is $1,817, with a larger-unit benchmark of $2,292, so Leander's rent sits above the HUD figure, which is a benchmark and not a market median. Williamson County's rate of 1.61% turns into $7,205 for the tax collector on a home worth $447,000, a large annual bill by the standards of other covered Texas cities, and that county figure is below what Leander owners estimate for their own homes. Owners hold 73.4% of Leander homes, close to The Woodlands at 72.5%, and ahead of Plano, where it is 56.9%, and Austin, where it is 43.4%. Sugar Land reports 80.3%, which is higher still. Up-front loan expenses on the 10,111 mortgages originated in 2025 were typically $7,926, with the central band from $5,401 to $12,417. A buyer weighing Leander against Round Rock or Georgetown, which reports $429,100, should compare the tax rates as well as the values, since the Williamson County rate of 1.61% applies to the higher base. The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area ranks 25th and counts 2,550,637 residents, and Leander itself has 87,511.

The county figures are worth a separate look. A county figure of $447,000 is below the Leander median of $506,200, so the 1.61% rate applies to a larger sum in Leander than the county typical suggests. Rent sets Leander near Allen and Sugar Land, yet Leander's value is higher than either: Allen reports $464,100 and Sugar Land reports $430,200. Richardson reports $431,400 with rent of $1,857, and Georgetown reports rent of $1,795. Lewisville reports $378,500 with rent of $1,670, and Carrollton reports $381,000 with rent of $1,735. The owner share in Leander of 73.4% is above Allen's 69.4% and Georgetown's 69.5%. HUD's benchmark of $1,817 for the county is below Leander's own rent of $1,939, so a renter should read the benchmark as a floor for comparison rather than a quote. The loan-cost median of $7,926 is a county figure, not a forecast for any one loan. Carrollton reports an owner share of 58.5% and Lewisville 46.3%, both below Leander.

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 Leander

How much is property tax in Leander?

Homeowners in Williamson County pay a median $7,205 a year in property tax, 1.61% of the county median home value of $447,000 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Leander?

Home-purchase mortgages in Williamson County carried median total loan costs of $7,926 in 2025; half of the 10,111 loans fell between $5,401 and $12,417 (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 Leander?

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 Leander?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Leander ($506,200) equals 21.8 years of the median gross rent ($1,939 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Leander?

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 Leander

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Sources

Texas · All states · Federal guides