The $400K house that out-taxes a $750K oneNorthern Virginia property taxes vs. Texas, Florida, New Jersey and other big metros (2026)
You pay the price once. You pay the property tax every year. Here is the same house, taxed in 43 places.
Virginia here, Maryland across· Jones Point, Alexandria
Artist's renderings of real Northern Virginia places.
Updated Oct. 16, 2026County, state and Census tax dataAbout an 11-minute read
Quick answer
A $1.2 million house in Fairfax County pays $13,842 a year in property tax (tax year 2026). The same price costs $20,817 (Middletown) to $29,422 (Parsippany-Troy Hills) a year in the seven New Jersey towns I checked, and an estimated $19,410 inside Houston city limits, both at 2025 rates. For a new buyer, Northern Virginia comes in below Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Chicago, and above Denver and Washington, D.C. The catch: Virginia taxes wages, at up to 5.75% of taxable income, and taxes cars every year. Texas and Florida do neither.
$13,842Fairfax County, $1.2 million house, tax year 2026
$29,422The same house in Parsippany-Troy Hills, N.J., the highest of seven New Jersey towns (2025 effective rate: the town's tax as a share of a home's market value)
$7,208A $400,000 house in a Cypress-area MUD (municipal utility district, a special taxing district) near Houston, estimated (2025 rates)
$1,298More a month in property tax, paid with the mortgage (escrow), in Parsippany-Troy Hills than in Fairfax County, on a $1.2 million house
Estimates for a primary residence bought this year. Rates, sources and caveats below.
The New Jersey story
My clients didn't believe the Fairfax number. Here it is, side by side.
Clients of mine are moving from New Jersey, preapproved for a $1.2 million single-family home in Fairfax County. When I told them what property tax runs in Fairfax, they didn't believe me. Northern Virginia couldn't be that much lower than what they knew from New Jersey.
So here are the two side by side: the same $1.2 million house, taxed in Fairfax County and in one town in each of seven North and Central Jersey counties. Fairfax came to $13,842 a year. New Jersey came to $20,817 at the low end (Middletown) and $29,422 at the high end (Parsippany-Troy Hills).1,2 That is $6,975 to $15,580 more every year than Fairfax County, for the same price.
Where $13,842 comes from
Fairfax County, $1.2 million house, tax year 2026
General real estate rate$1.12 per $100 of assessed value, down from $1.1225 in 2025
$13,440
Stormwater service district$0.0325 per $100
$390
Forest pest levy$0.001 per $100
$12
County-wide total$1.1535 per $100 of assessed value
$13,842
Inside a leaf collection district, add $0.019 per $100 ($228 a year), for $14,070 a year. Trash pickup is a flat fee, not a rate, so it is not included. Bills are due in July and December 2026.1
The same $1.2 million house, yearly property tax
Drawn to scale. White figures show the extra tax a year vs. Fairfax County. Fairfax County uses 2026 rates; New Jersey uses each town's 2025 effective tax rate.2
One honest note: a New Jersey bill depends on the home's assessment, which does not reset when a house sells, so a buyer's first bill can land above or below these figures. The fine print has more.
Side by side
Northern Virginia lands in the middle of the pack.
Here is a new buyer's first-year property tax bill on the same house, at $750,000 or $1.2 million, in 35 of the 43 places (the full table below has all 43, with New York City on two rows). Fairfax County has one of the higher rates in Northern Virginia, and it still pays less than every Texas, Florida and New Jersey place on the list.3
Drawn to scale. New Jersey bars are each town's 2025 effective tax rate times the price. † Estimate: one input (an exemption, a city rate or the year of the rate) could not be confirmed from an official source. Tax years: Northern Virginia 2026 or FY2027; Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago and Columbus 2025; Seattle, Philadelphia and D.C. 2026; Boston FY2026; Los Angeles and San Francisco FY2026-27; Charlotte, Raleigh, Nashville, Baltimore and Montgomery County FY2027. Rows showing what typical current owners pay are in the full table, not here.
The Houston surprise
A $400,000 house near Houston can out-tax a $750,000 house here.
On the purchase price, plenty of Texas homes do look like a bargain from Northern Virginia. The yearly bill is where the surprise lives.
Yearly property tax: Texas at $400,000 vs. Northern Virginia at $400,000 and $750,000
Drawn to scale. Texas uses 2025 rates and Northern Virginia uses 2026. † Estimate: some homestead exemptions for the Houston-area taxing units are assumed, not confirmed.4
$1,036
More a year at the same $400,000 price: an estimated $5,650 inside Houston city limits vs. $4,614 in Fairfax County.
$7,208
Yearly tax on a $400,000 house in a Cypress-area MUD, estimated. That is more than a $750,000 house pays in Prince William ($7,028) or Loudoun ($6,038).
$11,670
Yearly tax on a $750,000 house inside Houston city limits, estimated. That tops a $1.2 million house in Prince William ($11,244) or Loudoun ($9,660).
Why the gap? Inside Houston city limits, eight taxing units add up to a combined rate of more than $2.12 per $100 before exemptions: Harris County, its flood control district, the port, the hospital district, the county education department, the community college, the city and Houston ISD.4 Fairfax County's county-wide rate is $1.1535 per $100. Homestead exemptions trim the Texas bill, most of all the school tax (Houston ISD takes off $140,000 plus 20% of the home's value), but they can't close a gap that size.
Then there's the MUD. Outside the city, many newer subdivisions sit in a municipal utility district, which adds its own rate. In 2025, Harris County's MUD-type districts charged from $0.02292 per $100 (the lowest district) to $1.62 (the highest), with a median district rate of about $0.49, and 46 of them charged $1.00 or more. In a new-construction MUD, that levy alone adds about $5,000 a year on a $750,000 house at Barker-Cypress's $0.674 per $100, and about $12,000 at the top district rate of $1.62. Look up the exact district before you fall for the price.
None of this makes Texas a bad deal. Texas does not tax wages, and for many households that offsets much or all of the difference. The sticker price is just half the story.
The full table
Every place, four prices. Tap a column to sort.
Northern Virginia rows are highlighted. Check the Basis column before you compare: most rows are a new buyer's first-year bill, but a few show what typical current owners pay, which runs lower in places that cap assessments.
Yearly property tax on the same owner-occupied single-family house. The $400K to $1.5M headings are house prices; the figures under them are each house's yearly tax. Sorted by the $1.2M column. *% of price: the yearly tax on the $750,000 house divided by its price, not the nominal tax rate. Tap any column heading to sort.
Year oneA new buyer's first-year bill from official rates and exemptions.
Year one, est.The same, but one input is from a secondary source or assumed.
Effective rateNew Jersey's 2025 effective tax rate times the price.
Typical owner (Census survey)What typical current owners pay, from the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey (ACS). Not a new buyer's bill.13
Legal ceilingThe most New York City's formula allows. Real bills are usually far lower.20
Left out on purpose: Detroit, because Michigan resets a home's taxable value after a sale, so what typical owners pay understates a buyer's bill; and Boston with its residential exemption, because a first-year buyer may not qualify. Boston's row shows the bill before the exemption.19
Northern Virginia, place by place
Eight localities, eight rates and a car tax on top.
Every Virginia locality assesses homes at 100% of market value, and there is no general homestead exemption for owners under 65. What changes from place to place is the rate: from $0.805 per $100 of assessed value in Loudoun County, the lowest, to $1.24 in the City of Manassas, the highest.
Yearly property tax on a $750,000 house
Drawn to scale. Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington and Alexandria use 2026 rates; the cities of Falls Church, Fairfax and Manassas use FY2027.
Yearly car tax per $100 of vehicle value
Drawn to scale. Rates as of Oct. 7, 2026, before state relief. Loudoun plans $2.94 for 2027. Falls Church kept $4.80 for 2026 after advertising up to $5.00.
Real estate and vehicle tax rates per $100 of assessed value
The car tax. Virginia localities also tax vehicles every year, at their own rate per $100 of value. State relief under the Personal Property Tax Relief Act lowers the tax on the first $20,000 of a personal-use vehicle's value, at a percentage each locality sets every year. In Fairfax County, a $40,000 car comes to about $1,828 a year before that relief ($4.57 per $100 of its value).36 Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have no annual vehicle property tax.
The average Fairfax home. The average (mean) assessed value of a Fairfax County home was $829,895 in 2026, which works out to about $9,573 a year at the county-wide rate of $1.1535 per $100.37 Because Virginia resets assessments to market every year, a new buyer pays about the same tax as a long-time owner of a similar house.
The fine print
What the tax rate doesn't tell you.
A lower property tax is not the whole cost of living somewhere. Here is what the rate leaves out, and where a comparison like this can mislead.
Virginia taxes wages
Virginia's income tax tops out at 5.75% on taxable income over $17,000.38 Texas, Florida, Washington State, Tennessee and Nevada have no tax on wage income, though Washington State taxes some capital gains. On a $200,000 household income, Virginia income tax is roughly $10,000 a year. On a $750,000 house, a first-year buyer in Texas or Florida pays about $3,000 (Houston) to $6,000 (the Cypress-area MUD) more a year in property tax than in Fairfax County, so skipping the income tax can offset much or all of it.
Caps help later, not in year one
Texas caps a homestead's yearly rise in taxable value at 10%. Florida's Save Our Homes caps it at 3%, or inflation if lower, and California's Proposition 13 at 2%.39,22 None of them lowers a new buyer's first bill, and Florida's portability doesn't follow you from another state. Virginia has no cap at all.
Exemptions differ
Texas takes $140,000 off a homestead's value for school tax, plus local percentages. Florida takes up to $50,000, Philadelphia $100,000, D.C. $91,950 and California $7,000. Each row includes what a new owner-occupant can claim. Florida's Amendment 3, on the November 2026 ballot, proposes changes to homestead taxes; if it passes, Florida's figures will change.11
Texas MUDs vary
The Cypress row uses one district, Barker-Cypress MUD, at $0.674 per $100, with no MUD exemption assumed. Many MUDs grant none, and some grant up to 20%. New-construction suburbs such as Cypress, Katy, Richmond and Fort Bend often carry MUD rates of $0.60 to $1.00 per $100 or more. Always check the specific district.
Texas freezes school tax at 65
Owners 65 or older, or disabled, get an extra $60,000 school exemption, and their school taxes freeze at the year they qualify.39 For a retiree who stays put, that cuts the long-run bill a great deal. It does nothing for a younger buyer's first bill.
New Jersey assessments
New Jersey does not reassess a house when it sells. A buyer inherits the current assessment until the town's next revaluation, so a first bill can land well above or below the effective-rate figure. ANCHOR rebates, based on income, and Stay NJ, for seniors 65 and older, are not included.2
Fees and special districts
Florida's flat fees on the tax bill (non-ad valorem assessments) and community development district (CDD) fees can add $1,000 to $4,000 or more a year in newer communities. California's Mello-Roos (special district taxes on many newer homes) and direct assessments often add $1,000 to $5,000 or more a year. None of these are in the totals, and trash, water and sewer fees are left out everywhere.
Typical owners vs. new buyers
In places that cap assessments, long-time owners pay well below a new buyer. In Texas and Florida, Census data shows typical owners paying about 0.8% to 1.5% of value, while a new buyer at $750,000 pays about 1.6% (Houston) to 1.9% (Miami) of the price, and more in a MUD. In New York City, the cap doesn't reset on a sale, so a buyer inherits the seller's assessment. That's why the ACS rows are labeled as typical current owners.13
What you can afford
The tax bill is part of the monthly payment your lender approves.
Lenders count the monthly tax escrow along with principal, interest and insurance when they decide what you can borrow. A higher tax bill doesn't just cost more each year. It can shrink the house you qualify for.
Fairfax County$1,154a month on a $1.2 million house
vs.
Same house, seven N.J. towns$1,735 to $2,452a month, Middletown to Parsippany
That is $581 (Middletown) to $1,298 (Parsippany-Troy Hills) more every month in New Jersey, money that could otherwise go toward the mortgage. Monthly escrow here is simply the yearly tax divided by 12.
Monthly property tax escrow
Drawn to scale: yearly tax divided by 12, rounded to the dollar. Virginia uses 2026 rates; the others use 2025. † Estimate.
Buyers coming from Texas or Florida see the same pattern at lower prices. On a $750,000 house, Fairfax County's escrow is about $721 a month, vs. an estimated $973 inside Houston city limits and $1,180 in Miami. Loudoun County's is about $503.
Then plan for what isn't in the escrow: Virginia's income tax comes out of each paycheck, and the car tax arrives as its own bill. Put all three side by side before you decide what a house here really costs you.
Want your number? My Buying Power Calculator shows the home price that fits your monthly budget in Northern Virginia.
How much is property tax on a $1.2 million house in Fairfax County?
About $13,842 a year in tax year 2026. Fairfax County's county-wide rate is $1.1535 per $100 of assessed value: the $1.12 general rate plus $0.0325 for stormwater and $0.001 for forest pest control. A home inside a leaf collection district adds $0.019 per $100, for $14,070 a year. Trash pickup is a separate flat fee.
Are Northern Virginia property taxes lower than New Jersey's?
For the same price, yes, by a wide margin. On a $1.2 million house, Fairfax County's 2026 bill is $13,842. Using 2025 effective tax rates, the same price runs from $20,817 in Middletown to $29,422 in Parsippany-Troy Hills, or $6,975 to $15,580 more a year. A New Jersey bill depends on the home's assessment, which does not reset when a house sells.
Is a $400,000 house in Houston cheaper to own than one in Northern Virginia?
Not on property tax. The estimated first-year bill on a $400,000 house inside Houston city limits is $5,650, vs. $4,614 in Fairfax County and $3,220 in Loudoun County. In a Cypress-area MUD, the estimate is $7,208, more than a $750,000 house pays in Prince William ($7,028) or Loudoun ($6,038). Texas does not tax wages, though, and for many households that offsets much or all of the difference.
Does Virginia have a homestead exemption?
Not a general one for owners under 65. Every Virginia locality assesses homes at 100% of market value, and assessments reset to market every year with no cap on increases. Relief for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities is separate and is not included in the figures on this page.
What is the car tax in Northern Virginia?
Each locality taxes vehicles every year. Per $100 of value: Alexandria $5.33, Arlington $5.00, Falls Church $4.80, Fairfax County $4.57, City of Fairfax $4.13, Manassas $3.60, Prince William $3.50 and Loudoun $3.09. State relief lowers the tax on the first $20,000 of a personal-use vehicle's value. Texas, Florida and New Jersey have no annual vehicle property tax.
How much does property tax add to a monthly mortgage payment?
Divide the yearly tax by 12. On a $1.2 million house, that is about $1,154 a month in Fairfax County and $1,735 (Middletown) to $2,452 (Parsippany-Troy Hills) in the seven New Jersey towns. On a $750,000 house, it is about $721 a month in Fairfax County and $503 in Loudoun County. Lenders count that escrow in your monthly payment when they decide how much you can borrow.
Your next step
Weighing a move? Ask me for the tax on the exact house.
Send me the address or the town you have in mind. I'll send back the yearly tax, the car tax and the monthly escrow, in English or Arabic.
