How much are property taxes in New Braunfels, TX compared to California?

Combined rates around New Braunfels commonly run 1.4% to 2.4% of market value, so a $600,000 home pays roughly $9,000 to $11,000 a year before exemptions. A comparable longtime California owner under Proposition 13 often pays $5,000 to $6,000, but Texas has no state income tax, which offsets the difference for many households.

What is the new Texas homestead exemption for 2025?

Texas Proposition 13, approved in November 2025, raised the school district homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000. Proposition 11 raised the additional exemption for homeowners 65 or older or disabled from $10,000 to $60,000, for a combined school district exemption of nearly $200,000. Both apply retroactively to the 2025 tax year.

Do I have to file for the homestead exemption when I buy a home in Texas?

Yes. The homestead exemption is not automatic for a new homeowner. You file a free application with your county appraisal district (Comal, Guadalupe, or Hays around New Braunfels) using a Texas driver's license that matches the property address. The general deadline is April 30.

Does protesting your property appraisal in Texas raise your taxes?

No. Protesting cannot raise your appraised value or trigger retaliation. The worst case is your value stays the same; the best case is it drops, saving you money this year and in future years. The deadline is May 15 or 30 days after your notice of appraised value is delivered, whichever is later.

Moving From California to New Braunfels: Property Tax Math

Drake Carter
Jul 9
6 min read

How do property taxes change when you move from California to New Braunfels, TX?

Texas resets your property tax to full market value the day you buy, so a $600,000 home near New Braunfels typically runs $9,000 to $11,000 a year before exemptions, compared with the $5,000 to $6,000 many longtime California owners pay under Proposition 13. The trade is that Texas has no state income tax, and new 2025 laws raised the school district homestead exemption to $140,000, with up to $200,000 combined for homeowners 65 or older or disabled. Filing your homestead exemption and protesting your appraised value each year can meaningfully lower the bill.

By Drake and Michelle Carter | July 9, 2026

You're picturing the move from California to New Braunfels. No state income tax, more money in your pocket, a bigger house for less. All of that is true.

What surprises almost every California buyer we work with is the property tax line. Your $700,000 California home pays roughly $5,000 a year in property tax. The same priced home in Comal County can pay $7,000 to $10,000. We help relocating families run this math on real houses every week, so here's the full picture, including the two moves most new Texas homeowners never make.

Quick note before we get into numbers: we're real estate agents, not CPAs or attorneys. Treat this as the conversation that tells you which experts to call next.

Why the sticker shock happens

California's Proposition 13 caps your assessed value increase at roughly 2% a year based on your original purchase price. If you bought in 2005 for $400,000, your assessed value might sit around $600,000 today with a tax bill in the $5,000 to $6,000 range. An effective rate near 1%.

Here's the catch: that protection is locked to that house. The day you sell and buy somewhere else, it's gone. In Texas, the clock starts over at full market value.

Around New Braunfels, your city rate, school district rate, and county rate all stack together. Combined rates commonly land between 1.4% and 2.4% depending on your exact location and which ISD you're in. On a $600,000 home, a realistic plan is $9,000 to $11,000 a year before exemptions. That's the number that makes California buyers do a double take. Watch Drake and Michelle walk through the side by side at 1:15.

Before you close the tab, keep reading, because the raw number is not the whole story. It's also worth seeing what your housing dollar actually buys in New Braunfels and the Hill Country compared with coastal California.

The good news: Texas passed its own Prop 13

In November 2025, Texas voters approved Proposition 13. Different state, same number, total coincidence. It raised the school district homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000.

Voters also approved Proposition 11, which raised the additional exemption for homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled from $10,000 to $60,000. That brings their combined school district exemption to almost $200,000.

And here's the detail the headlines get fuzzy on: these exemptions apply back to the 2025 tax year, not starting in 2026. The tax bills going out already reflect the higher exemption and lower taxable value. If you already have a homestead exemption on file, the increase is automatic. Hear the breakdown of the new exemptions at 2:15.

The savings depend on your specific school district rate. For most homeowners it's a few hundred dollars a year on the general exemption, and meaningfully more for seniors and disabled homeowners once that additional $60,000 kicks in.

The critical part for relocating buyers: you have to file for it. The homestead exemption is not automatic for a brand new homeowner, and we see relocating buyers leave that money on the table all the time. The form is 100% free, despite the services that will try to charge you for it. You file with your county appraisal district (Comal, Guadalupe, or Hays, depending on where your home sits), and you'll need a Texas driver's license with an address that matches your primary residence. The general deadline is April 30, but file as soon as the home is legally your primary residence. When we close a relocation buyer, this is on the checklist we hand you.

Running the California to Texas numbers on a real budget and a real neighborhood? Drake and Michelle help families make this exact move every month, from picking the right school district to the homestead checklist at closing. Schedule a free meeting with The Carter Team and get the full financial picture before you commit.

The move almost no homeowner makes: protest your appraised value

In Texas, you have the right to protest your appraised value every single year. Coming from California, this is brand new muscle, because under Prop 13 you never had to think about it.

It matters here specifically because New Braunfels has topped national fastest growing city lists for years. As values climb, the appraisal district values a lot of homes using a mass appraisal model, which means your house can get lumped in with others and valued higher than it should be. Protesting is how you push that number back down.

The question we get every time: no, protesting does not raise your taxes, and it does not put a target on your back. The worst case is your value stays the same. The best case is it comes down, and you save money this year and in the years that follow because you're starting from a lower base. Watch why protesting is worth it at 3:52.

Here's how it works in Comal County, and the process is similar in Guadalupe and Hays:

January through April: the appraisal district sets your value. In spring, you get a notice of appraised value in the mail. Read it the day it arrives, because the clock starts then.
Deadline: May 15, or 30 days after your notice is delivered, whichever is later. Miss it and you're stuck with the value for the year.
File online: the Comal County Appraisal District has an e-filing system. Your efile PIN and owner ID are printed right on the notice.
Build your case: you're arguing the market value is too high, or that comparable homes around you are valued lower. Your evidence is recent comparable sales, photos of anything that hurts value (dated kitchen, foundation issues), and any repair estimates you're sitting on.

Many homeowners settle informally with an appraiser before it goes further. If not, you present to the appraisal review board and they make the final call.

And here's where we come in. The single most powerful evidence in a protest is a strong set of comparable sales, and that's literally what we do all day. If you're one of our clients, call us and we'll pull the comps for your protest at no charge. We'd rather you keep that money than hand it to the county. There are also companies that handle the whole protest for a cut of your savings, and for some people that's completely worth it. We've used them ourselves.

The whole picture, not just the tax line

Yes, your Texas property tax bill will likely be higher in raw dollars than what Prop 13 was protecting in California. We're not going to pretend otherwise.

But you're also dropping a state income tax that can run into tens of thousands of dollars a year for a higher earner. For a lot of the families we work with, that money covers the higher property tax with real money left over. And your housing dollar goes further here. The home that was a stretch in coastal California is often comfortable in New Braunfels, with the yard, the square footage, and the garage you actually wanted. Hear the full cost comparison at 7:32.

So don't compare just the property tax line. Compare income tax, property tax, home price, cost of living, and what your day to day actually feels like. When our California clients run that full number with their CPA, the move almost always makes sense. If you're still weighing the lifestyle side, our honest take on the pros and cons of living in New Braunfels and the top reasons people are moving here will round out the picture.

Whether you're three months from listing your California home or you've already booked the flight to come tour, this is exactly the call we have all the time. We'll walk you through the Hill Country corridor, point you at the neighborhoods that fit your timeline and budget, and hand you the homestead and protest checklist at closing. Book a relocation consult with The Carter Team and cross the state line with a plan instead of a surprise.

About Drake and Michelle Carter Drake and Michelle Carter are licensed Texas real estate agents and the founders of The Carter Team at Keller Williams Heritage in New Braunfels. They specialize in helping buyers and sellers navigate the South and Central Texas Hill Country, serving New Braunfels, San Marcos, Canyon Lake, Seguin, Spring Branch, Bulverde, and North San Antonio. Follow along on their YouTube channel for honest, no fluff advice on living and buying in the Hill Country.