If you're moving here from Florida, the price won't shock you. The Florida single-family median was $415,000 in September. The Austin metro median was $421,000. Almost the same number.
The taxes won't shock you either, at least not the income tax. Neither state has one. What catches Florida buyers off guard is the other side of the ledger: the property tax bill is bigger here, and the insurance bill is smaller. Here's how that trade works, and what else changes when you cross the Gulf.
Taxes: you're trading one big bill for another
Florida keeps property taxes low. The statewide effective rate is about 0.78% of home value. If you've owned your Florida house for a while, Save Our Homes has also capped your assessed value at 3% a year, so your real bill is probably even lower than that.
Texas funds schools mostly through property tax. Across the Austin metro, combined rates run from about 1.55% to 2.35% of appraised value, depending on which city, county, school district and special districts your address sits in. That's roughly double, and the first bill is the one that surprises people.
Here's the part that softens it: insurance.
| Florida | Austin, Texas | |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | None | None |
| Effective property tax rate | About 0.78% | About 1.55% to 2.35% |
| Homestead exemption | Up to $50,000 | $140,000 off school taxes |
| Cap on homestead value increases | 3% a year | 10% a year |
| Average homeowners premium | $8,471 | $4,582 |
| Sale prices public | Yes | No |
Run it on a house at the Austin median. A $421,000 home at a 2% rate is about $8,400 a year in property tax, or roughly $7,000 after the homestead exemption. The same house in Florida at 0.78% is about $3,300. So you pay around $3,700 more in tax here. The average Texas homeowners policy runs about $3,900 less than the average Florida policy. For a lot of buyers the two lines come close to cancelling out.
Your numbers will differ. Those premiums are statewide averages for a standard policy, and coastal Florida runs well above the average. Get a real insurance quote and a real tax estimate on the actual house before you decide.
File the homestead exemption right away. Once you own and live in the house, file with the Travis Central Appraisal District (or Williamson or Hays, if you buy there). It's free, it takes about ten minutes online, and you can file the same year you buy. It removes $140,000 of value from school taxes and caps how fast your taxable value can rise.
Your Save Our Homes savings don't come with you. Florida's portability only moves within Florida. In Texas you start fresh at the appraised value.
Protest every spring. The appraisal district sends a new value each year, and you have the right to argue it down. Plan on doing it.
Watch for MUDs. Newer subdivisions often sit in a municipal utility district, which adds its own line to the tax rate. It works a lot like a Florida CDD fee, just billed through property tax. Two houses at the same price can carry very different bills because of it.
Keeping the Florida house as a rental? Florida votes on a property tax amendment on November 3. Among other changes, it would lower the cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property from 10% to 5% a year. Worth knowing before you decide whether to sell or rent it out.
Buying a house here works differently
Sale prices aren't public. Florida publishes what every house sold for. Texas doesn't. Sellers here don't have to report sale prices, so Zillow estimates are working with much less information than you're used to. The real sold prices live in the MLS. Lean on your agent's comps.
The option period. Instead of Florida's inspection period, Texas uses an option period. You pay the seller a small option fee, and for the agreed number of days you can walk away for any reason. That's when inspections and most of your homework happen.
Condos are a different conversation. If you've been through milestone inspections, reserve studies and special assessments in Florida, Austin condos will feel calmer. Texas has no statewide milestone inspection law. Still read the HOA's budget and reserves before you buy. That habit travels well.
Buyers have room to negotiate right now. Metro inventory sits at 5.4 months of supply, and homes are closing at an average of 92.7% of original list price. Repairs, seller credits and rate buydowns are all on the table.
The house itself
Hail, not hurricanes. You trade hurricane season for hail and wind. No hurricane deductible, no shutters, no evacuation route. Roof age and roof material drive insurance quotes here more than anything else, so ask about the roof before you go under contract.
Foundations move. Much of Austin sits on expansive clay. It swells when it's wet and shrinks in a drought, and slab foundations move with it. Get a foundation inspection on any house with some age on it.
Hills. Florida is flat. West of MoPac, Austin is not. Hill Country lots come with views, slopes, retaining walls and the occasional driveway you'll think about in an ice storm.
The heat is different. Florida summers are humid. Austin summers are hotter and drier, with long stretches over 100 degrees in July and August. Shade, a good AC system and a sense of how the house handles west sun matter more than you'd guess.
Water is lakes, rivers and springs. No ocean. You get Lake Travis, Lady Bird Lake and Barton Springs, a spring-fed pool that stays around 68 degrees all year. Florida transplants who miss the water usually end up near one of them.
Your first 90 days
- Vehicle registration within 30 days. Travis and Williamson counties require a passing emissions inspection first. Florida never asked for one.
- Texas driver license within 90 days, through the Department of Public Safety. Book early. The wait is the longest part.
- Homestead exemption as soon as you've moved in.
- Drop your Florida homestead exemption. If you keep the Florida house, tell the county property appraiser you no longer live there. Keeping an exemption you no longer qualify for can mean back taxes and penalties.
- Cedar fever shows up between December and February. Most newcomers lose a week to it the first winter before they figure out what it is.
Where to start looking
Florida buyers usually ask two things: where's the water, and where do I get more house for the money. Lakeway and the Lake Travis side answer the first. Cedar Park, Round Rock and Leander answer the second. Central neighborhoods like Mueller, Hyde Park and Travis Heights are for people who want to walk to dinner and don't mind a smaller lot.
Pick your constraint first: the water, the commute, the school district or the budget. Then pick the ZIP. The Relocation Guide covers 45 neighborhoods across the metro, the neighborhood guides go deeper on 30 of them, and what "central Austin" actually means breaks down the ZIP codes people call central. If you know someone coming from the West Coast or New York, I wrote the same guide for California and New York.
And if you want an honest read on where you'd fit, reach out. I'm happy to walk you through it, including the parts of town I'd steer you away from.
Common questions
Is it cheaper to live in Austin or Florida?
Home prices are close. The Florida single-family median was $415,000 in September 2026 and the Austin metro median was $421,000. Property taxes in Austin run about double Florida's rate, but the average homeowners insurance premium in Texas is about $3,900 a year lower than in Florida. For many buyers those two roughly offset.
Does Texas have a state income tax?
No. Neither Texas nor Florida has a state income tax, so moving from Florida to Austin does not change your income tax. The difference shows up in property tax and insurance instead.
Are property taxes higher in Austin than in Florida?
Yes. Combined property tax rates across the Austin metro run about 1.55% to 2.35% of appraised value, compared with an effective rate of about 0.78% in Florida. Filing the Texas homestead exemption removes $140,000 of value from school taxes.
Does my Florida Save Our Homes cap transfer to Texas?
No. Florida portability only moves within Florida. In Texas you start at the current appraised value, and the homestead cap limits increases to 10% a year after that.
Is homeowners insurance cheaper in Austin than in Florida?
Usually. The average Texas homeowners premium is $4,582 a year, compared with $8,471 in Florida, based on a standard policy. Hail and roof condition drive Austin quotes, so get a quote on the specific house.
Do I need a hurricane plan in Austin?
No. Austin is about 150 miles inland, with no evacuation zones, and Austin policies generally don't carry a hurricane deductible. The weather risks here are hail, high winds, drought and the occasional winter ice storm.
Sources: Florida single-family median from Florida Realtors, September 2026. Austin figures from Unlock MLS (ACTRIS), September 2026, all property types, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA. Florida effective property tax rate from the Tax Foundation. Homeowners insurance averages from Insurance.com, 2026, for a standard policy with $300,000 dwelling coverage. Texas homestead exemption amount per the constitutional amendment approved by voters in November 2025. Florida amendment details from Florida Realtors. Registration and license deadlines from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Tax figures are rough estimates and not tax advice. Talk to a tax professional about your situation. Median sold price is not a guarantee of value for any specific property.