Cost to Own
United StatesTexasComal County FIPS 48091 Data vintage ACS 2023 5-Year Rates updated 2026-09-10
The part nobody budgets Even with the mortgage fully paid off, the median home in Comal County still costs $1,242 a month in taxes, insurance, utilities and upkeep. See how that compares nationwide

Total monthly cost of ownership

Cost to Own a Home in Comal County, Texas

A $399,000 home here costs

$3,314

per month, all in, with 20% down at today's 6.76% 30-year fixed rate. By the 28% rule that takes a household income of about $142,000 a year.

P&I 63%Tax 12%Insurance 8%Utilities 7%Upkeep 10%

A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,072. The real number is $1,242 higher every month, 60% more than the payment most buyers budget for.

County median: $398,800
Under 20% adds PMI
Freddie Mac PMMS
TX average household

Compare with Bexar County · Hays County · Guadalupe County · any county

Where every dollar goes

Only the first line is a mortgage payment. Change any assumption above and every figure below recalculates.

Principal & interest30-year fixed, $319,200 borrowed $2,072
Property tax1.210% effective rate, Comal County assessor via Census ACS $402
Homeowners insuranceTexas averages $2,124/yr (NAIC), or 0.794% of home value $264
Electricity15.94¢/kWh, Texas residential average, EIA $175
Water, sewer & trashUS household average $68
Maintenance reserve1% of home value per year, the cost nobody budgets $333
Total monthly $3,314

How Comal County compares

Comal County ranks 792nd of 3,133 US counties by effective property tax rate, meaning property taxes here are lower than in 2,341 counties and higher than in 791. Within Texas it ranks 140th of 250.

Comal County 1.210% 45% higher than national
Texas average 1.276%
National median0.837%
Highest in America, Menominee County, WI3.636%

Paying the full bill when you don't have to?

Texas runs property tax relief: homestead, senior, veteran and disability programs, and nearly all of it requires a filing homeowners never make. See what you can claim in Texas. Buying instead? The state's down payment help is the program lenders forget to mention.

The numbers behind this page

MeasureComal CountySource
Median home value$398,800ACS B25077
Median real estate taxes paid$4,827ACS B25103
Effective property tax rate1.210%Derived
Median gross rent$1,460ACS B25064
Occupied housing units67,651ACS B25003
Population174,552ACS B01003
Residential electricity price15.94¢/kWhEIA 5.6.A, June 2026
30-year fixed mortgage rate6.76%Freddie Mac PMMS

The risk behind the insurance bill

FEMA rates Comal County's overall natural hazard risk Relatively Moderate among US counties. Expected annual losses to buildings, people and agriculture here run about $144 million a year, county-wide, across every building in it, not per household.

One thing to be clear about: the insurance figure above does not know about any of this. It applies your state's average premium rate to the county's median home value, because published premium data does not exist at county level. Two counties in the same state get the same rate here even when FEMA rates one of them Very High and the other Very Low. So in a high-risk county treat the insurance line as a floor, not an estimate, and get a real quote before you budget.

River flooding FEMA National Risk Index percentile 96.6 Relatively High
Hail FEMA National Risk Index percentile 94.4 Relatively High
Tornado FEMA National Risk Index percentile 93.2 Relatively High

Ratings are FEMA's own, relative to all US counties. A high drought or heat rating also shows up in the climate figures for Comal County.

Talk to someone who works this market

Every figure on this page is a county average. What your specific house costs, or what it would sell for, comes down to the street, the age of the roof and the condition of the systems. We will connect you with one licensed local agent who works Comal County every week. Free, no obligation, and we never sell your details to a list.

I'm looking to buy in Comal County I already own here and may sell

The weather behind that power bill

Comal County runs an average high of 95.6°F in its hottest month and a low of 39.8°F in its coldest, with 37.84" of precipitation a year and 31% of it falling in a single three-month stretch. That climate is what sets the $175 electricity line above: 2,834 cooling degree days and 1,672 heating degree days a year.

See the full Comal County climate breakdown , month by month temperatures, when the rainy season lands, snowfall, and what the heating and cooling actually cost.

Cities and towns in Comal County

Each has its own median home value and its own effective tax rate, which can differ noticeably from the county average of 1.210%.

Neighbouring counties

Counties sharing a border with Comal County. Crossing a state line can change the tax rate dramatically for an otherwise identical house.

All 250 counties in Texas

Questions about owning here

What is the property tax rate in Comal County?

The effective property tax rate in Comal County, Texas is 1.210% of home value per year. On the county's median home value of $398,800, that works out to about $4,827 annually, or $402 per month.

How much does it cost to own a home in Comal County?

A $399,000 home in Comal County, Texas costs approximately $3,314 per month with 20% down at 6.76%. That breaks down as $2,072 principal and interest, $402 property tax, $264 insurance, $243 utilities and $333 set aside for maintenance.

Why is this higher than the payment my lender quoted?

Lender quotes usually show principal and interest only, and sometimes property tax and insurance. They almost never include electricity, water or a maintenance reserve. Here those add about $575 a month, which is why the real cost is 60% above the mortgage payment alone.

Is it cheaper to rent in Comal County?

Median gross rent in Comal County, Texas is $1,460 per month, compared with $3,314 a month to own the median home all in. Renting is cheaper month to month, though rent does not build equity and is not fixed for 30 years.

How much is the electric bill in Comal County?

Texas residential electricity averages 15.94¢ per kWh. At the TX average household usage of 1096 kWh per month, that is about $175. Actual bills vary considerably with house size, insulation and climate.

What salary do you need to buy a home in Comal County?

Using the standard 28% rule, housing costs at no more than 28% of gross income, buying the median home in Comal County, Texas at today's rate takes a household income of roughly $142,000 a year. That covers the full $3,314 monthly cost, not just the mortgage payment.

One county over In Bexar County, the same $399,000 home pays about $2,410 a year more in property tax than it does here. See what else changes across the line

Sources & methodology

  • Median home value, real estate taxes paid, gross rent, occupied units and population, US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, tables B25077, B25103, B25064, B25003, B01003.
  • Effective property tax rate, median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value.
  • Mortgage rate, Freddie Mac PMMS, updated weekly.
  • Residential electricity price, US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A.
  • Homeowners insurance, NAIC average premium for Texas ($2,124/yr), expressed as 0.794% of median home value and applied to the price above. A quote for your specific house will differ with roof age, claims history and coverage.
  • Maintenance (1%/yr) and water and sewer ($68/mo) are modelled national estimates, not quoted figures. Every assumption is editable above.

Full methodology