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Harris County vs Fort Bend County: how do taxes and prices compare?
Answered by Allen Markel, REALTOR®, Texas Premier Realty ·
Short answer
Fort Bend County homes cost more and carry a slightly higher tax rate. The six-month median sale price is $389,000 in Fort Bend and $320,000 in Harris, or $165 versus $156 per square foot. The median total tax rate on active listings with a complete stack is 2.38% in Fort Bend and 2.25% in Harris, and the share of homes in a FEMA flood hazard area is 4.2% versus 9.4%. Fort Bend prices are down 0.7% over 12 months, and Harris prices down 2.2%.
How do prices and sales compare?
Harris County sold 24,369 homes in the last six months at a $320,000 median; Fort Bend sold 6,486 at $389,000. Over 12 months the Harris median moved from $322,046 to $315,000 and the Fort Bend median from $387,736 to $384,990. The median time from listing to contract was 29 days in Harris and 33 in Fort Bend. Active inventory is 20,475 in Harris and 5,411 in Fort Bend, both near 5.0 months of supply. On a per-square-foot basis the gap is $9, narrower than the price gap, because Harris includes many smaller condominiums and older homes. In dollars, a buyer holding a $3,000 monthly budget for principal, interest and tax at 20% down and 7.03% (Freddie Mac, September 24, 2026) can afford about $415,700 at Harris's tax rate and about $409,700 at Fort Bend's. So the tax difference is worth roughly $6,000 of purchase price. The larger factor is the price level of the homes on offer.
How do taxes and other costs compare?
Tax rates come from certified 2025 stacks: Harris 2.254% across 18,290 homes (89% of actives); Fort Bend 2.381% across 3,807 (70% of actives). At each county's median price the annual tax is about $7,213 in Harris and $9,262 in Fort Bend, a difference of $2,050. MUD lines appear on 38% of Harris stacks and 78% of Fort Bend stacks, at medians of $0.591 and $0.77. Median HOA dues are $975 in Harris (73% of listings have a fee) and $1,150 in Fort Bend (93%). Fort Bend's rate table in our database is smaller than Harris's, so rely on the certified address-level stack. Both counties have MUDs, flood zones and HOAs, and their means of quoting them differ, so compare addresses. If you are cross-shopping, use the certified stack for each address, the flood zone, the HOA dues, and the school district, and remember that the county lines on the bill differ: Fort Bend has its own hospital and drainage districts and a different appraisal district.
Amounts and rules change every year. For the most current and accurate answer, contact the county office directly: for a Harris County home, the Harris Central Appraisal District (hcad.org, 713-957-7800) for values, exemptions and protests, and the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector (hctax.net, 713-274-8000) for tax bills and payments; for a Fort Bend County home, the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District (fbcad.org, 281-344-8623) for values, exemptions and protests, and the Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector (fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/tax-assessor-collector, 281-341-3710) for tax bills and payments.
| Measure | Harris | Fort Bend |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price, last 6 months | $320,000 (24,369 sales) | $389,000 (6,486 sales) |
| Median $/sq ft, last 6 months | $156 | $165 |
| Median price change, 12 months | -2.2% | -0.7% |
| Median days on market, 12 months | 29 | 33 |
| Active listings | 20,475 | 5,411 |
| Median total tax rate (complete stacks) | 2.254% (18,290) | 2.381% (3,807) |
| Homes with a MUD line | 37.6% | 77.6% |
| Median HOA dues per year | $975 | $1,150 |
| Active listings in a FEMA hazard area | 9.4% | 4.2% |
Common follow-up questions
Is Fort Bend more expensive than Harris County?
Yes: $389,000 versus $320,000 median over the last six months.
Which county has higher property taxes?
Fort Bend has the higher median total rate, 2.38% versus 2.25%, on certified stacks.
Which county has fewer homes in flood zones?
Fort Bend: 4.2% of active listings versus 9.4% in Harris.
Sources
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Answers describe transactions and public data. They are not legal, tax or financial advice.