Houston, TX vs San Antonio, TX: sales tax compared
Quick answer
Both metros apply the same combined sales tax rate of 8.25%, so a purchase costs the same at the register in either place — but the jurisdictions collecting that money differ, as the stacks below show.
- Rate gap
- 0%Percentage points, combined rate
- Extra tax on $1,000
- $0.00Paid in San Antonio
- Extra tax on $25,000
- $0.00Vehicle-sized purchase
Houston, TX
Harris County
8.25%
Combined rate · ranked #36 of 94 covered metros
| Level | Jurisdiction | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| state | Texas state | 6.25% |
| city | City of Houston | 1% |
| special district | Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County | 1% |
- 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.
San Antonio, TX
Bexar County
8.25%
Combined rate · ranked #38 of 94 covered metros
| Level | Jurisdiction | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| state | Texas state | 6.25% |
| city | City of San Antonio | 1.125% |
| special district | VIA Metropolitan Transit and ATD | 0.875% |
- Population
- 1,495,295
- Median household income
- $58,829
San Antonio splits its local 2% unusually: an eighth-cent goes to aquifer protection and pre-K programs rather than transit.
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%) applied to the pre-tax amount: 0% of $1,000 is $0.00. 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 San Antonio?
Neither — both apply a combined rate of 8.25%.
How much more sales tax would I pay in San Antonio on a $1,000 purchase?
Nothing — the two combined rates are identical, so the tax on a $1,000 purchase is the same.
Why do Houston and San Antonio have different rates?
The state share is 6.25% in TX and 6.25% in TX. The rest comes from county, city and special-district increments stacked on top, which are set locally and listed in full on this page.
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