Texas · Killeen-Temple, TX metro area

Buying a home in Temple, Texas

In Temple, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $239,000, Bell County's effective property tax rate is 1.44%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $6,992 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,231 a month.

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

Temple home costs, fact by fact

About Temple

Temple, Texas lies in the Killeen-Temple, TX metro area, which ranks 110th in the country. Median gross rent is $1,231 per month, and HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom is $1,138.

Reading the Temple figures

Temple's estimated median of $239,000 is below the Texas statewide figure of $318,100, and below the $320,700 for Dallas and the $304,700 for Arlington. Within the group of covered Texas cities, Mesquite reports $245,700 and San Antonio $235,700, so Temple falls between them. Killeen reports $215,400 and Waco reports $221,700, both lower figures. All are owners' estimates, not sale prices, and Texas has 52 covered cities, so these are only the ones named.

Rent tells a different story. Temple tenants pay a median of $1,231 a month, lower than Dallas's $1,472 and Fort Worth's $1,509, but above Waco's $1,165 and Killeen's $1,208. Tyler, at $1,252, is close, and Odessa at $1,315 is higher. HUD's benchmark for the Killeen-Temple area is $1,138, below the local median rent, so renters here pay more than that program figure.

Owners occupy 52.3% of homes, close to San Antonio's 52.2% and above Houston's 42.1%, while Tyler at 55.4% is a little higher. Waco's owner share is 49.4% and Killeen's 49.5%, a little below Temple's.

Temple counts 96,267 residents, fewer than Killeen's 160,616, Waco's 146,608 or Odessa's 119,748, and closer to Bryan's 91,541. Its $239,000 estimate is higher than all of those cities, from Killeen's $215,400 up to Tyler's $235,300, even though its rent sits near Tyler's and Bryan's $1,195. Owner shares in that group run from Waco's 49.4% to Odessa's 59.8%, so Temple's 52.3% falls in the lower part of the range. That combination of a higher estimate, middling rent and a lower owner share is what separates Temple from the other mid-sized Texas cities named here.

Garland reports $270,800 and Mesquite reports $245,700, higher value estimates than Temple, and their rents of $1,641 and $1,513 are also higher, so Temple reads lower on both counts among these cities. Grand Prairie reports $295,500 and a rent of $1,629, again higher on both measures.

Property tax is the heavier cost here. Bell County's levy of 1.44%, assessed against $241,000, gives a median annual tax of $3,476, which is notable against home values this low. A buyer weighing Temple against Odessa at $223,100 or Bryan at $227,800 should therefore look at the yearly tax as well as the price. In the county, 5,586 mortgages recorded in 2025 show closing-loan charges centred on $6,992, and the central spread ran from $3,782 to $9,893. The metro area, Killeen-Temple, ranks 110th in the country with 509,487 residents, and Temple has 96,267.

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 Temple

How much is property tax in Temple?

Homeowners in Bell County pay a median $3,476 a year in property tax, 1.44% of the county median home value of $241,000 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Temple?

Home-purchase mortgages in Bell County carried median total loan costs of $6,992 in 2025; half of the 5,586 loans fell between $3,782 and $9,893 (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 Temple?

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 Temple?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Temple ($239,000) equals 16.2 years of the median gross rent ($1,231 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Temple?

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 Temple

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Sources

Texas · All states · Federal guides