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Houston, TX vs Jacksonville, FL: sales tax compared

Quick answer

Houston, TX is the higher-tax metro at 8.25%, versus 7.5% in Jacksonville, FL. The 0.75% gap works out to $0.75 on a $100 purchase, $7.50 on $1,000 and $187.50 on a $25,000 purchase.

Rate gap
0.75%Percentage points, combined rate
Extra tax on $1,000
$7.50Paid in Houston
Extra tax on $25,000
$187.50Vehicle-sized purchase

Houston, TX

Harris County

Verified against state table

8.25%

Combined rate · ranked #36 of 94 covered metros

Sales tax rate composition for Houston, TX: 6.25% Texas state, 1% City of Houston, 1% Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, totalling 8.25%.
Jurisdiction breakdown for Houston
LevelJurisdictionRate
stateTexas state6.25%
cityCity of Houston1%
special districtMetropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County1%
Population
2,314,157
Median household income
$62,894

Texas caps combined local rates at 2%, and Houston uses all of it — 1% city plus 1% METRO — so no additional district can be layered on.

Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts · rates as published for 2026-01-01

Full Houston sales tax page

Jacksonville, FL

Duval County

Verified against state table

7.5%

Combined rate · ranked #57 of 94 covered metros

Sales tax rate composition for Jacksonville, FL: 6% Florida state, 1.5% Duval County discretionary surtax, totalling 7.5%.
Jurisdiction breakdown for Jacksonville
LevelJurisdictionRate
stateFlorida state6%
countyDuval County discretionary surtax1.5%
Population
985,843
Median household income
$66,981

Jacksonville is consolidated with Duval County, so the county surtax is effectively the city rate for nearly the whole municipal area.

Source: Florida Department of Revenue · rates as published for 2026-01-01

Full Jacksonville sales tax page

How the difference is calculated

Same arithmetic the calculator on every page runs.

Each combined rate is the sum of its listed state, county, city and special-district components — no rounding is applied before the total. The dollar gap is the rate difference (0.75%) applied to the pre-tax amount: 0.75% of $1,000 is $7.50. Neither figure includes product-specific exemptions; groceries, clothing and digital goods can be taxed at a different rate or not at all, which is covered on each state's rules page.

Questions people ask

Direct answers to the questions this comparison raises.

Which has a higher sales tax rate, Houston or Jacksonville?

Houston, TX at 8.25%, versus 7.5% in Jacksonville, FL.

How much more sales tax would I pay in Houston on a $1,000 purchase?

About $7.50 more, and roughly $187.50 more on a $25,000 vehicle-sized purchase.

Why do Houston and Jacksonville have different rates?

The state share is 6.25% in TX and 6% in FL. The rest comes from county, city and special-district increments stacked on top, which are set locally and listed in full on this page.

Other comparisons involving Houston.