Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Friendswood, Texas
A $400,000 home here costs
$3,394per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,056. The real number is $1,337 higher every month — 65% more than the payment most buyers budget for.
Where every dollar goes
Only the first line is a mortgage payment. Change any assumption above and every figure below recalculates.
Friendswood against Harris County and Texas
| Measure | Friendswood | Harris County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $399,500 | $255,000 |
| Median property tax | $6,271 | $4,382 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.570% | 1.718% |
| Median gross rent | $1,698 | $1,349 |
| Population | 40,827 | 4,758,579 |
Friendswood extends across 2 counties. Figures here use Harris County, where most of its housing sits.
The weather behind that power bill
Friendswood sits in Harris County, which averages a high of 94.9°F in its hottest month and a low of 43.7°F in its coldest, with 51.84" of precipitation a year and 29% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 3,288 cooling and 1,266 heating degree days, which is what sets the $148 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Harris County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Harris County
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Friendswood?
A $400,000 home in Friendswood, Texas costs approximately $3,394 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,056 principal and interest, $523 property tax, $265 homeowners insurance, $216 utilities and $333 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Friendswood?
Friendswood has an effective property tax rate of 1.570%, based on a median home value of $399,500 and median real estate taxes of $6,271. That is lower than the Harris County average of 1.718%.
What is the average home price in Friendswood?
The median owner-occupied home value in Friendswood, Texas is $399,500, against $255,000 across Harris County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Friendswood?
Median gross rent in Friendswood is $1,698 a month, against $3,394 to own the median home all in. Renting costs less month to month here, though renting builds no equity.
Sources & methodology
- Median home value, real estate taxes, gross rent and population for Friendswood — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Texas.
- Electricity price — EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
- Mortgage rate — Freddie Mac PMMS, refreshed weekly.
- Maintenance (1%/yr) and water and sewer ($68/mo) are national estimates. Every assumption above is editable.