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

Buying a home in Pearland, Texas

In Pearland, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $356,300, Brazoria County's effective property tax rate is 1.66%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $8,960 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,860 a month.

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

Pearland home costs, fact by fact

About Pearland

Pearland is a city in Texas with 129,620 residents, and it lies in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, ranked 5th among U.S. metro areas. Homeowners occupy 76.2% of homes, and the effective property tax rate (median tax as a share of home value) in Brazoria County is 1.66%.

Reading the Pearland figures

Pearland reports a median home value of $356,300, above both the Texas median of $318,100 and Dallas, which reports $320,700. Sugar Land reports $430,200. Georgetown reaches $429,100, then Round Rock $418,600. Carrollton comes to $381,000, and League City to $360,000, so every one of these sits higher. Denton stands lower, at $348,200. New Braunfels carries $339,400, Midland $319,200. Owners supplied these values, not closings, but they place Pearland in the upper part of the 45 covered Texas cities, though below Sugar Land, Georgetown and Round Rock.

The tax line deserves attention. Brazoria County taxes at 1.66% of value, with a median annual bill of $5,001, on county homes valued at a median of $301,600. Pearland's own median runs higher than the county's, so a home at the city median would carry a larger bill than that county typical. Because the rate applies to every dollar of value, the 1.66% is the number to budget with, and a buyer should ask what a specific home would be taxed rather than lean on the county median alone.

Rent comes to $1,860 a month at the median. Round Rock sits lower, at $1,763. Carrollton rent is $1,735, League City $1,684. Sugar Land runs higher, at $1,957. HUD's Fair Market Rent for the Brazoria County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,319 for a 2-bedroom home, with the larger home type listed at $1,790. That HUD benchmark sits well under the census median rent, which covers every unit size and describes the city rather than the county. HUD publishes it for rental assistance, not as a market median.

Ownership is strong here: 76.2% of households own. League City trails at 74.7%. Georgetown has an owner share of 69.5%, New Braunfels 65.3%. Dallas shows 42.4%, and College Station 35.4%, far below. Sugar Land reaches 80.3%. In short, Pearland reads as one of the more owner-heavy cities in the covered set.

Financing: in Brazoria County, lenders reported 4,787 loans in the 2025 HMDA data; the median cost per loan was $8,960. The middle band ran from $5,941 to $12,553. Pearland lies in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, ranked 5th nationally with 7,796,182 residents, and the city itself counts 129,620 people across 3 counties. A buyer should set the 1.66% tax rate beside that loan spread, keeping in mind that all of these are county figures rather than city ones, since Brazoria County values are lower than Pearland's own, and ask a lender for a written estimate before choosing between Pearland and a city with lower values. The city's high owner share and its rent, which runs above the HUD benchmark for Brazoria County, suggest a market where buying is the usual route.

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 Pearland

How much is property tax in Pearland?

Homeowners in Brazoria County pay a median $5,001 a year in property tax, 1.66% of the county median home value of $301,600 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Pearland?

Home-purchase mortgages in Brazoria County carried median total loan costs of $8,960 in 2025; half of the 4,787 loans fell between $5,941 and $12,553 (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 Pearland?

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 Pearland?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Pearland ($356,300) equals 16 years of the median gross rent ($1,860 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Pearland?

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 Pearland

Other large cities in Texas

Who licenses each trade in Texas · All covered cities

Sources

Texas · All states · Federal guides