What income do you need to buy a $300,000 house in Texas?
The short answer
A $300,000 house in Texas costs about $2,024 a month to own with 20% down, which takes a household income of roughly $86,739 a year to keep housing inside the 28% front-end ratio lenders use. That total is $1,541 of principal and interest, $350 of property tax and $133 of homeowners insurance.
Texas ranks 48th of 51 on what a $300,000 house costs to carry: $373 a month more than Hawaii at the bottom, $91 a month less than New Jersey at the top. The loan is identical in all three.
- Principal & interest
- $1,541
- Property tax
- $350
- Insurance
- $133
- Total monthly
- $2,024
- Income needed
- $86,739
What $300,000 buys in Texas
$300,000 sits below the Texas median of $341,800, at roughly 88% of it. That is an attainable price in most of the state, though not in its strongest markets.
| Metro | Price level | Typical home | $300,000 vs typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 100.8 | $354,824 | -15% — below typical |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 100.6 | $354,120 | -15% — below typical |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 98.8 | $347,784 | -14% — below typical |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 95.7 | $336,872 | -11% — below typical |
Price level is the regional price parity for the metro, indexed so that 100 is the national average. Typical home is this state's median scaled by that index — an approximation, not a market survey.
If you put down less than 20%
Property tax and insurance do not move with the down payment; the loan and the mortgage insurance do. At $300,000 in Texas the tax and insurance floor is $483 a month before any mortgage payment at all.
| Down | Cash at closing | Loan | P&I | PMI | Total/mo | Income needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5% down | $10,500 | $289,500 | $1,858 | $229 | $2,571 | $110,180 |
| 5% down | $15,000 | $285,000 | $1,830 | $166 | $2,479 | $106,245 |
| 10% down | $30,000 | $270,000 | $1,733 | $104 | $2,320 | $99,429 |
| 20% down | $60,000 | $240,000 | $1,541 | — | $2,024 | $86,739 |
The same $300,000 house in other states
Identical price, identical loan, identical rate. Only the property tax rate and the insurance market change — and they change the income requirement by $15,861 a year across this set.
| State | Tax/mo | Insurance/mo | Total/mo | Income needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $470 | $104 | $2,115 | $90,635 |
| Illinois | $470 | $91 | $2,102 | $90,079 |
| Texas | $350 | $133 | $2,024 | $86,739 |
| New York | $325 | $89 | $1,955 | $83,786 |
| Pennsylvania | $315 | $96 | $1,952 | $83,637 |
| Florida | $195 | $189 | $1,925 | $82,492 |
| Maryland | $230 | $80 | $1,850 | $79,300 |
| Georgia | $198 | $97 | $1,835 | $78,649 |
| California | $175 | $72 | $1,787 | $76,598 |
| Colorado | $125 | $79 | $1,745 | $74,775 |
Common questions
How much do I need to make to buy a $300,000 house in Texas?
About $86,739 a year at the 28% front-end ratio, with 20% down and a 6.65% thirty-year fixed. That covers a $2,024 monthly payment: $1,541 principal and interest, $350 property tax and $133 insurance. Lenders who stretch to a 31% ratio would accept roughly $78,345.
What is the monthly payment on a $300,000 house in Texas?
Roughly $2,024 a month with 20% down and no HOA. With 5% down the payment rises to about $2,479, because the loan is larger and PMI adds around $166 until the balance reaches 80% of value.
How much are property taxes on a $300,000 house in Texas?
About $350 a month, or $4,200 a year, at the 1.40% effective rate this state averages. County rates vary around that figure, and assessed value here cannot rise more than 10% a year, so a long-held home is taxed on far less than it would sell for.
How much cash do I need up front for a $300,000 house in Texas?
$60,000 for a 20% down payment, or $15,000 at 5% down. Closing costs typically add 2–5% of the price on top, and lenders will want a couple of months of the $2,024 payment in reserves.
This is a price point, not a house. Put in an actual Texas address, the date it closed and the price paid, and the calculator works out that home's payment, its mortgage-insurance dates and the equity behind it.