Texas · 24th largest metro area

Buying a home in San Antonio, Texas

In San Antonio, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $235,700, Bexar County's effective property tax rate is 1.73%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $8,281 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,324 a month.

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

San Antonio home costs, fact by fact

About San Antonio

San Antonio, with a city population of 1,526,656, belongs to the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area, ranked 24th among US metro areas. Owners occupy 52.2% of homes.

Reading the San Antonio figures

San Antonio's citywide median home value, $235,700, hides a wide spread. It sits below the Texas median of $318,100 and below Dallas, yet Payotte's 10 sectors run from $116,000 in Westside to $427,000 in Far North. Stone Oak reaches $425,000, which is 80% above the citywide figure, and Far North 81% above. Westside lands 51% below and Southwest, at $122,000, 48% below. Greater Airport Area reports $300,000. Northwest comes to $322,000, and Northeast to $273,000, while Medical Center, at $232,000, sits near the city number.

Age follows the same split. Westside has the oldest housing, with a median construction year of 1959 and 74.5% of homes built before 1980, and Southwest follows with 1966 and 70.9%. Stone Oak is the newest, with 2003 and only 3.6% built before 1980. A buyer in the older sectors should plan an inspection that looks at age, since the low price comes with older housing.

Rent and tenure show a second contrast. Westside has the lowest rent, at $1,030. Southwest rent is $1,180, Greater Airport Area $1,290, while Stone Oak reaches $1,670. Ownership runs from 70.2% in Northeast and 66.2% in Northwest down to 41.3% in Greater Airport Area and 13.9% in Medical Center, where 25,868 households rent and 4,170 own. The citywide owner share is 52.2%, below Fort Worth, which shows 57%.

Bexar County sets the tax bill: 1.73% of value, a median annual amount of $4,535, on county homes valued at a median of $262,200. That rate applies to every home whatever the sector. HUD's Fair Market Rent for the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,441 for a 2-bedroom home, with the larger home type at $1,864, a benchmark rather than a market median, and it sits above the citywide median rent of $1,324.

Lenders in Bexar County reported 20,747 loans in the 2025 HMDA data; the median cost stands at $8,281 and a middle band runs from $5,513 to $11,630. The city ranks 24th nationally in a metro area of 2,763,006 residents and has 1,526,656 people across 2 counties.

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.

Sectors of San Antonio

San Antonio is divided into the ten most populous of 30 SA Tomorrow sub-areas (regional centers and community areas), one open spot per trade in each.

Source: City of San Antonio GIS, SA Tomorrow sub-area plans (SATomorrow_SubAreas_Updated). Population per area is a Payotte estimate: the sum of Census ACS 2020-2024 populations (table B01003) of the 2020 census tracts whose internal point lies inside each official boundary.

Questions about buying a home in San Antonio

How much is property tax in San Antonio?

Homeowners in Bexar County pay a median $4,535 a year in property tax, 1.73% of the county median home value of $262,200 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in San Antonio?

Home-purchase mortgages in Bexar County carried median total loan costs of $8,281 in 2025; half of the 20,747 loans fell between $5,513 and $11,630 (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 San Antonio?

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 San Antonio?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in San Antonio ($235,700) equals 14.8 years of the median gross rent ($1,324 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in San Antonio?

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 San Antonio

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Sources

Texas · All states · Federal guides