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

Buying a home in Mesquite, Texas

In Mesquite, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $245,700, Dallas County's effective property tax rate is 1.58%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $8,710 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,513 a month.

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

Mesquite home costs, fact by fact

About Mesquite

Mesquite lies in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area, which is home to 8,344,032 residents. Within the city, 62.8% of homes are owner-occupied, and the median gross rent is $1,513 per month.

Reading the Mesquite figures

Mesquite sits low in the value range of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area. Owners estimate a median home value of $245,700, while the Texas median is $318,100, and the gap shows at once. Dallas reports $320,700. Grand Prairie carries $295,500, Garland carries $270,800, so Mesquite falls below each of them. San Antonio is almost level with it, with $235,700, and Tyler reports $235,300. Owners supplied those values instead of closings, but the ordering holds across the statewide table of 45 covered cities.

The county tax read is where a buyer should slow down. Mesquite lies in Dallas County, which taxes at 1.58% of value and posts a median annual bill of $4,798, on county homes valued at a median of $303,000. Because Mesquite's own median falls under the county figure, the same rate produces a smaller dollar bill on a typical Mesquite home than the county number suggests. The rate does not change with the price, however, so the tax weighs just as heavily on a modest home as on a costly one.

Rent here comes to $1,513 a month at the median. Dallas sits lower with $1,472, Arlington lower still with $1,470, and Houston lowest of the group with $1,361. Garland runs higher, at $1,641. Grand Prairie reaches $1,629. For the Dallas HUD Metro FMR Area, HUD sets Fair Market Rent at $1,807 for a 2-bedroom home, with the larger home type at $2,275, a rental-assistance benchmark rather than a market median. The census median covers all unit sizes, so it should not be set directly against the HUD number.

Most Mesquite households own: 62.8% do. Dallas reports only 42.4%. Houston shows 42.1%, and Arlington 54.3%. Garland stands close to Mesquite with 61.6%. Fort Worth shows 57%, and Grand Prairie 58.7%. A city where most households own, with values below the state median, leaves a buyer more room in the budget for the tax bill and the loan costs. Owner share also tells you about the market you are entering: with 62.8% owning, a Mesquite buyer is joining a mostly owner-occupied city.

Loan costs deserve a look. In Dallas County, lenders reported 15,629 loans in the 2025 HMDA data, and the median cost reached $8,710. The middle band ran from $5,744 to $12,517, a wide spread. Mesquite touches 2 counties, and its metro area holds 8,344,032 residents and ranks 4th nationally, while the city itself has 150,140. If you shop for a loan, ask for a written estimate and compare it with that spread, then check it against the county tax bill before you decide what a Mesquite home really costs each month.

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 Mesquite

How much is property tax in Mesquite?

Homeowners in Dallas County pay a median $4,798 a year in property tax, 1.58% of the county median home value of $303,000 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Mesquite?

Home-purchase mortgages in Dallas County carried median total loan costs of $8,710 in 2025; half of the 15,629 loans fell between $5,744 and $12,517 (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 Mesquite?

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 Mesquite?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Mesquite ($245,700) equals 13.5 years of the median gross rent ($1,513 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Mesquite?

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 Mesquite

Other large cities in Texas

Who licenses each trade in Texas · All covered cities

Sources

Texas · All states · Federal guides