Living here
Cost of living in Galveston
Housing is close to the US average. Rents, home prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes.
Median rent
$1,278/mo
5% below US
Median home value
$294,300
3% below US
Median household income
$57,216
27% below US
Rent as share of income
27%
US 21%
Home price to income
5.1×
US 3.9×
Sales tax
8.25%
Rent by number of bedrooms
HUD 2027 fair market rents for Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area (gross rent including utilities, near the 40th percentile of local rents). Source: HUD USER.
How Galveston compares
- Galveston$1,278
- Texas$1,339
- United States$1,348
- Pearland$1,759
- Sugar Land$1,939
- Austin$1,655
- Georgetown$1,671
- Cedar Park$1,753
- New Braunfels$1,536
- Tyler$1,199
- Killeen$1,147
- Galveston$294,300
- Texas$260,400
- United States$303,400
- Pearland$330,900
- Sugar Land$406,600
- Austin$512,700
- Georgetown$398,600
- Cedar Park$474,800
- New Braunfels$315,100
- Tyler$216,400
- Killeen$196,000
Taxes
Compare with nearby cities
Life in Galveston
Questions
Is Galveston expensive to live in?
Housing in Galveston is close to the national average: median rent is $1,278 (5% below US) and the median home value is $294,300 (3% below US).
How much is rent in Galveston?
The median gross rent is $1,278 a month. HUD’s 2027 fair market rents for the area are studio $1,233, 1 bedroom $1,261, 2 bedrooms $1,497, 3 bedrooms $2,017, 4 bedrooms $2,502.
How much of their income do renters spend in Galveston?
At the median, a year’s rent ($15,336) equals about 27% of the median household income ($57,216); nationally it’s about 21%.
What are taxes like in Galveston?
Sales tax is 8.25% and property taxes run about 1.18% of home value a year.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; HUD fair market rents; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts - City Sales and Use Tax rates (city-rates.xlsx, updated Oct 6, 2026; cross-checked with EDI current rate file taxrates.txt, 2026 Q4).