Property tax rates in Austin, Texas run noticeably above the national average, and the exact number depends heavily on which city and school district your specific address falls under. There isn’t one “Austin rate,” there are dozens of combinations across the metro, and the difference between them can run into thousands of dollars a year on the same-priced home. Here’s how the actual rates break down.
Inside Austin city limits (Travis County, Austin ISD)
For a typical home inside Austin city limits and Austin ISD, the combined tax rate runs around $2.05 per $100 of assessed value once every taxing entity is added together. That combined figure breaks down roughly as follows: Austin ISD around $0.9252, the City of Austin around $0.5240, Travis County around $0.3758, Austin Community College around $0.1034, and Central Health around $0.1180, all per $100 of value. Each of these is set independently by its own governing board, and each can change year to year, so the combined rate you see this year is a snapshot, not a fixed number.
Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Georgetown (Williamson County)
Move north into Williamson County and the picture shifts. Effective rates across Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Georgetown generally run somewhere between 1.9% and 2.4% of appraised value, and the exact figure depends on which specific city and school district combination applies to an address, since Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, and Georgetown ISD each set their own rate independently, on top of their own city’s rate. That range means two similarly priced homes on opposite sides of a school district boundary can carry a genuinely different tax bill, which is worth checking before you assume a nearby listing’s tax number applies to a home you’re actually considering.
The piece most rate comparisons leave out: MUDs and PIDs
A lot of newer master-planned communities across the metro sit inside a municipal utility district or a public improvement district, and those add their own tax rate on top of the standard city, county, and school totals. MUDs typically fund the infrastructure, water, sewer, and roads, that got built for the community, and that rate gradually declines as the district pays down its debt, but it can add a meaningful amount to your bill in a newer subdivision’s early years. If you’re touring new construction, this is genuinely worth asking about directly, since it doesn’t always show up clearly in a builder’s advertised price. I’ve covered how this plays out in specific communities in my guide to new construction in Round Rock, where a few of the newer communities carry their own MUD rates.
Why Texas rates run high in the first place
Texas has no state income tax, and property taxes are one of the main ways cities, counties, and school districts fund themselves instead. That trade-off is a big part of why the state’s property tax rates run above the national average even as the total tax burden, income plus property plus sales tax combined, often comes out competitive for higher earners. I’ve written more on how that full trade-off works for people relocating from out of state in my Central Texas relocation guide, since it’s one of the most common questions new residents ask once they see their first tax bill.
Texas law does put some limits on how fast this can grow for individual homeowners. School district homestead exemptions were raised meaningfully by recent constitutional amendments, and a 10% annual cap limits how much a homesteaded property’s taxable value can increase in a single year, regardless of how much the market value jumps. Neither of those caps the tax rate itself, though, they cap the value the rate gets applied to, which is a distinction worth understanding rather than assuming your bill can’t rise at all.
How to get the exact rate for a specific address
Because rates genuinely vary by city, school district, and sometimes by MUD or PID, the only reliable way to get an exact number is through your county appraisal district’s property search tool, Travis Central Appraisal District inside Travis County or Williamson Central Appraisal District in Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Georgetown. Both let you search a specific address and see every taxing entity attached to that property along with its current rate. If you want to walk through the actual math once you have that rate, I’ve broken down the formula step by step in my guide to calculating your property tax bill.
Frequently asked questions
What is the property tax rate in Austin, Texas?
For a typical home inside Austin city limits and Austin ISD, the combined rate runs around $2.05 per $100 of assessed value across all taxing entities. Rates outside Austin ISD, in cities like Round Rock or Georgetown, run differently based on that area’s specific city and school district.
Are property taxes higher in Austin or the surrounding suburbs?
It varies by specific school district rather than city versus suburb generally. Some Williamson County combinations run lower than Austin ISD, others run comparably, so the specific address matters more than a general “city versus suburb” assumption.
What is a MUD tax and why does my new-construction home have one?
A municipal utility district tax funds the water, sewer, and road infrastructure built for a specific community, and it’s common in newer master-planned developments. It’s added on top of your standard city, county, and school rates, and it typically declines over time as the district pays down its debt.
Why are Texas property tax rates higher than other states?
Texas has no state income tax, and property taxes are one of the primary ways local governments and school districts fund themselves instead. The total tax burden, accounting for the lack of income tax, is often more competitive than the property tax rate alone suggests.
Can my property tax rate change every year?
Yes, each taxing entity, your school district, city, county, and others, sets its own rate annually and can adjust it. Homestead exemptions and the 10% appraisal cap limit how much of an increase applies to your taxable value, but they don’t freeze the rate itself unless you separately qualify for the over-65 tax ceiling.
Where to go from here
The rate that actually applies to you depends on your specific address, down to the school district and whether a MUD or PID is involved, so treat any citywide average as a starting point rather than your real number. If you want help understanding what a specific property’s tax bill actually looks like before you make an offer, reach out and I’m glad to walk through it with you.
