Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Luling costs less to live in than 84% of U.S. towns
It ranks #41 of 642 in Texas for affordability. Down 3.6% in a year, 26% below the Texas typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area ($100K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Austin metro earn ($100K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.1 years of metro income, and 52% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $220Ktypical home, 26% below the Texas typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,230a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 98prices across the Austin metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 120)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$100K, Austin-area income
- 12%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 52%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Texas: 52%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Luling, in brief
Prices are 19% below their 2022 peak
The typical Luling home peaked at $271K in July 2022 and is worth about $220K now. Texas as a whole is 6% off its own peak. Over five years, Luling is down 5.2%. Price trend ↓
About 12 months of homes for sale
At the pace homes sold in September, it would take about 11.8 months to sell everything listed (Texas: 5.7). The typical home took 93 days to sell and sold at 95% of asking. Only 13% sold above the asking price. How fast homes sell ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Luling’s homes were built before 1970, against 1992 for Texas as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
A burst of building in 2025
Luling permitted 65 new homes in 2025, against about 21 in a typical year of the past decade. That’s 12 per 1,000 residents, against 8.1 across Texas. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Luling’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Luling is more affordable than 84% of U.S. towns, #41 of 642 in Texas. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have lagged Texas: the typical Luling home is down 5.2% in five years, against 10.1% statewide (Zillow).
Down 5.2% in five years
Slower than Texas (10.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Luling | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $139,000 | $188,000 |
| 2018 | $151,000 | $200,000 |
| 2019 | $161,000 | $212,000 |
| 2020 | $174,000 | $221,000 |
| 2021 | $198,000 | $240,000 |
| 2022 | $244,000 | $284,000 |
| 2023 | $259,000 | $310,000 |
| 2024 | $242,000 | $308,000 |
| 2025 | $237,000 | $308,000 |
| 2026 | $226,000 | $300,000 |
| September 2026 | $220,000 | $296,000 |
A typical Luling home worth $135K in October 2016 is worth about $220K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 5 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 2.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Luling’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Luling home, with $155K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,230 a month here, $140 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Luling’s typical property tax (1.18% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,230
Renters already here pay a median of $1,021, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
65 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 65 new homes in Luling in 2025: 63 single-family houses and 2 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $18.9 million to build. That's 12 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Texas (8.1). Over the past 10 years, Luling has permitted 255 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Luling gained 188 residents while 191 new homes were permitted: about 1 new resident per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across Texas: 2.6 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 23 | 21 | 2 | $6.7 million |
| 2025 | 65 | 63 | 2 | $18.9 million |
| 2024 | 18 | 10 | 8 | $4 million |
| 2023 | 7 | 3 | 4 | $1.2 million |
| 2022 | 36 | 18 | 18 | $6.2 million |
| 2021 | 28 | 18 | 10 | $4.8 million |
| 2020 | 24 | 16 | 8 | $4 million |
| 2019 | 20 | 16 | 4 | $2.2 million |
| 2018 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2017 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2016 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2015 | 51 | 51 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2014 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2013 | 5 | 1 | 4 | $228,000 |
| 2012 | 5 | 1 | 4 | $242,000 |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $446,000 |
| 2010 | 34 | 5 | 29 | $2.5 million |
| 2009 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $419,000 |
| 2008 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $409,000 |
| 2006 | 39 | 39 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2005 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $986,000 |
| 2004 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2003 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2002 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $505,000 |
| 2001 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $180,000 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Texas norm
The median bill is $2,477 (Texas: $4,232), 1.18% of a home’s value a year, against 1.49% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Luling
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area, or Texas. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 98 | TX 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | TX 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 82 | TX 88 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 96 | TX 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Luling and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luling | A− | $220K | $210K | 1.18% | $1,230 |
Questions about the cost of living in Luling
Is Luling expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Luling costs less than 84% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #41 of 642 in Texas. The typical home costs 2.1 years of the median household income of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area ($100K).
How much does a house cost in Luling?
About $220K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 3.6% in a year. The Texas typical home is $296K.
What salary do you need to live in Luling?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $59,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,370 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $49,000.
How much is rent in Luling?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,230 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,021 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Luling?
The median bill is $2,477 a year, 1.18% of the median home value (Texas: $4,232, 1.49%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Luling going up?
No: down 3.6% in the past year and -5.2% in five years, against 10.1% across Texas (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Luling buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.