How does Texas score for retirement planning?
Texas scores 4.4 out of 10 in the HavenScout planning model. The score combines safety, cost, healthcare, transit, and long-term environment when source data is available.
U.S. State
Reviewed July 3, 2026
Retire in Texas
No income tax. Warm. Huge state with huge variety. Property tax is high. Hurricane risk coast. Hot summers. - Sources
Planning research, not advice. This guide summarizes HavenScout data and selected outside sources. Verify tax, healthcare, housing, insurance, legal, safety, and financial decisions with official sources and qualified professionals before acting.
Why this score?
Texas score calculation
Safety 4.4/10 x 35% + Cost 5.2/10 x 22% + Healthcare 2/10 x 18% + Transit 4/10 x 15% + Environment 8/10 x 10% = 4.4/10
Texas scores 4.4 (Challenging) because environment is the strongest support at 8/10, while healthcare is the main drag at 2/10. Safety carries the largest weight, so its 4.4/10 result strongly shapes the final score. Cost helps based on 97.1 vs US 100. Healthcare: Largest uninsured population in US. Houston Medical Center excellent. Rural deserts vast.
Safety4.4/1044/100
Cost5.2/1097.1 vs US 100
Healthcare2/101/5
Transit4/104/10
Environment8/10Excellent
Budget and cost
Texas cost of living for retirees
Cost index97.1BEA RPP all items
Cost baselineUS 100Broad regional comparison
Score input5.2/10Weighted at 22%
Texas uses a broad regional cost signal. It is useful for comparing places, but it does not replace city-level rent, insurance, property-tax, utility, grocery, and healthcare-cost research.
| Budget item | Texas value | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Cost index | 97.1 | Compared with a U.S. State baseline of 100. |
| Local range | Varies by city | Housing, insurance, taxes, utilities, and car dependence can change the real budget quickly. |
| Use case | Screening signal | Use this to shortlist places, then verify a personal budget locally. |
Housing costs
Texas housing costs for retirees
Median gross rent$1,403/moCensus QuickFacts, 2020-2024 statewide median.
Median home value$283,800Owner-occupied units, Census QuickFacts 2020-2024.
Monthly owner cost$2,106/moMedian for owners with a mortgage, Census 2020-2024.
Texas needs city and county housing review because the state-level cost signal can hide large differences between Austin, San Antonio, Georgetown, Dallas-Fort Worth, smaller towns, insurance markets, property taxes, and utility costs.
| Housing item | Texas signal | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Rent baseline | $1,403 statewide median | Census QuickFacts 2020-2024 median gross rent; use HUD FMR or local listings before comparing a specific Texas city. |
| Homeowner baseline | $283,800 value / $2,106 monthly cost | Census QuickFacts median owner-occupied home value plus median monthly owner cost for households that still have a mortgage, 2020-2024. |
| What owner cost means | Mortgage household costs | The Census monthly owner-cost figure is a broad homeowner burden signal. It is not a listing price and still needs local tax, insurance, HOA, utility, and maintenance review. |
| Paid-off homeowner baseline | $678/mo | Median monthly owner costs for owners without a mortgage, before city-specific tax, insurance, HOA, utility, and maintenance review. |
| Texas-specific caution | Property tax and insurance | No state income tax can help, but property taxes, homeowners insurance, flood risk, heat, and utilities can change the monthly number. |
Housing is not calculated in the state score. This section is to give planners a general idea of the housing market in Texas when the data is available. Some countries, states, and provinces do not have easy sources of information, so it is important for HavenScout users to double check their information.
Safety and local risk
Texas safety profile
Safety score44 / 100WalletHub/FBI signal
Local reviewRequiredCity, county, metro, and neighborhood matter
Large state, huge variation. San Antonio and Austin suburbs safe. Houston elevated.
| Concern | Relative risk | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Property Crime | Moderate | down |
| Vehicle Theft | High | up |
| Violent Crime | Moderate | down |
Healthcare
Texas healthcare access
Healthcare1/5HavenScout internal planning scale
SystemNo Medicaid expansionEligibility varies
Personal fitVerifyDoctors, prescriptions, specialists, insurance
Largest uninsured population in US. Houston Medical Center excellent. Rural deserts vast. This is a planning signal, not a guarantee of access or quality for a specific person.
Foreigners coming to the US must arrange private healthcare coverage, as the US has no universal healthcare, and standard public options like Medicare or Medicaid are unavailable to newcomers. Medical costs are exceptionally high, making coverage essential for avoiding massive out-of-pocket bills.
HavenScout advises users to arrange or ensure their own healthcare coverage prior to travel anywhere.
Texas Health and Human Services
Texas Department of State Health Services
US Federal Healthcare website
Healthcare sources
Back to top
Transit and mobility
Texas transit and daily mobility
Transit4/10Local mobility estimate
Car needed?UsuallyCheck exact city and neighborhood
Dallas DART rail solid. Houston METRORail. Austin improving. Most areas car-essential.
Back to topTaxes
Texas tax considerations
Income taxNoneResidency and income type matter
Sales tax6.25% + localLocal additions can apply
Professional reviewRecommendedTax and estate details vary
No income tax. But very high property tax — partial offset by homestead exemption.
Back to topVisa guidance
Texas visa and legal-stay research
Texas does not issue U.S. visas or immigration status. U.S. immigration is federal, so use USCIS for current visitor and status research, then check state-level tax, healthcare, insurance, driver's license, and residency rules separately.
Back to topRetirement areas
Places to research first
San AntonioRiverwalk, military heritage, affordable, warm
AustinLive music, tech, growing — pricier now
GeorgetownDel Webb community, fastest growing US city
FredericksburgHill Country, wine, German heritage, charming
How to use these area links. HavenScout highlights these Texas areas as research starting points from the current regional dataset, not as ranked recommendations. Government, state, province, national tourism, and local tourism links are stronger source signals than unsourced lists. Commercial .com tourism pages are labeled as local or regional tourism sources unless verified otherwise. Wikipedia links offer readable general background, but they are not official sources. Check housing, healthcare access, transportation, legal stay, safety, and neighborhood fit locally before making plans.
Houston averages about 63F to 94F across the year.
Back to topClimate and environment
Texas environmental data
Environment score8/10Excellent
Data confidenceMedium2024
Annual PM2.59.9 ug/m3 average across 48 complete monitors (2024)8.9/10 score
Ozone74.5 ppb average across 71 complete monitors; 4th-highest daily max 8-hour ozone (2024)6/10 score
Statewide monitor averages are a planning signal; city, metro, wildfire, industrial, and rural conditions can differ. Regional environment score = annual PM2.5 score x 70% + ozone score x 30%. PM2.5 uses the existing HavenScout PM2.5 scale; ozone maps 54 ppb or lower to 10 and 105 ppb or higher to 0.
Back to topRecent headlines
Recent Texas headlines
Recent headlines can help flag changing political, economic, health, weather, and safety context. News links are live, limited, and may not cover every important issue.
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Outside retirement reading
Research resources for Texas
These links are research starting points, not endorsements. Use them to verify current legal, tax, healthcare, housing, safety, and local planning details before acting.
Official State Site
Start with the state source for current services and local rules.
USCIS visit the U.S.
Official immigration and legal-stay research source.
HavenScout score method
How the model weights safety, cost, healthcare, transit, and environment.
Back to top
Planning questions
Common questions about Texas
How should I read the cost figure for Texas?
Texas's cost index is 97.1 against US 100. It is a broad regional comparison, not a personal budget or city-level rent estimate.
Is Texas safe enough to retire in?
Texas's safety signal is 44 out of 100. Use that as a screening signal only, then verify city, county, metro, neighborhood, and current official crime sources.
What should I verify before relying on healthcare in Texas?
Check eligibility, premiums, wait times, prescriptions, specialists, local hospitals, and insurance rules. HavenScout's healthcare rating is an internal planning scale, not an official healthcare ranking.
Which areas in Texas should I research first?
HavenScout currently highlights San Antonio, Austin, Georgetown as starting points. These are not recommendations to move there; they are practical places to compare housing, healthcare, transit, climate, safety, and taxes.
Research tool only. HavenScout is not legal, immigration, tax, financial, medical, security, or investment advice. State and province data is broad; city, county, metro, neighborhood, and personal eligibility details can change the real-world answer.