HOA Fees by City
HOA fees in Houston: what condo and townhome buyers pay in 2026
Updated October 29, 2026
Reviewed by:
Head of Growth at TurboHome
Agent, Texas · Texas Realtor® License #674075
The median HOA fee on a Houston condo listed in the past 12 months was $417 per month, with the middle half of listings paying between $280 and $583. That is up 4.2% versus the prior 12 months. HOAs are not just a condo issue here: 60.7% of Houston single family listings carried an HOA fee too, with a median of $52 a month. At today's mortgage rates, a $417 monthly fee reduces what you can borrow by roughly $60,700, so the fee belongs in your budget before you decide on a price range. The figures below come from 5,517 condo and townhouse listings and 24,835 single family listings in our MLS feed, and they are broken out by property type, neighborhood and building age.
TurboHome Market Analysis · Houston, Texas · Listings from October 29, 2025 to October 28, 2026
Key findings
- Median condo HOA fee: $417 per month (up 4.2% year over year, from $400). Typical range (25th to 75th percentile): $280 to $583.
- 60.7% of single family listings reported an HOA fee, with a median of $52.
- By neighborhood, attached-home fees ranged from $270 in Alief to $641 in Greater Uptown. Greater Uptown supplied the most listings (664) at a $641 median.
- Among single family communities, fees ranged from $41 in Kingwood Area to $116 in Acres Home.
- By building age, the cheapest era was 2020s ($250 median) and the most expensive was Before 1970 ($528).
- Each $100 of monthly HOA fee is equivalent to about $14,600 of mortgage at a 7.32% 30-year fixed rate.
How much are HOA fees in Houston? Fees by property type
| Property type | Listings | Share with an HOA fee | Median monthly fee | Typical range (25th to 75th pct) | Median list price (listings with a fee) | Median fee, prior 12 months | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Condo | 5,517 | 91.8% | $417 | $280 to $583 | $195,000 | $400 | +4.2% |
| Single family | 24,835 | 60.7% | $52 | $33 to $99 | $330,000 | $47 | +10.6% |
Local context: what drives Houston HOA fees
Houston has the lowest condo prices in this series, which makes fees loom large: the median condo with an HOA listed at $195,000 and carried a $417 fee. Greater Uptown, around the Galleria, had 664 attached listings at $641, and Montrose was $522. In Alief and Sharpstown, where condos list around $110,000 to $130,000, fees of $270 to $345 a month are a huge share of the carrying cost: a $345 fee on a $110,000 Sharpstown condo is more than half of the principal and interest payment on a 20% down loan at 7.32%. Among single family homes, 61% carry an HOA, typically under $100: Clear Lake was $43, Kingwood $41 and Champions $54. LendingTree ranks Houston third among the 100 largest metros for the share of homeowners paying HOA fees, at 55.3%.
Houston HOA fees by neighborhood (condos and townhouses)
| Neighborhood | Condo and townhouse listings with a fee | Median monthly HOA fee | Median list price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Uptown | 664 | $641 | $259,900 |
| Memorial | 297 | $460 | $249,000 |
| Astrodome Area | 265 | $458 | $130,000 |
| Alief | 254 | $270 | $130,250 |
| Mid West | 245 | $408 | $149,900 |
| Greenway / Upper Kirby Area | 186 | $634 | $236,950 |
| Montrose | 176 | $522 | $302,500 |
| Sharpstown | 171 | $345 | $110,000 |
Single family communities with HOAs in Houston
| Community or neighborhood | Single family listings with a fee | Median monthly HOA fee | Median list price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Lake | 642 | $43 | $356,500 |
| Champions | 544 | $54 | $350,000 |
| Briar Forest | 478 | $72 | $530,000 |
| Eldridge / West Oaks | 420 | $82 | $389,000 |
| Kingwood Area | 418 | $41 | $349,000 |
| Memorial | 391 | $79 | $1,016,000 |
| Acres Home | 375 | $116 | $329,900 |
| Lake Houston | 330 | $82 | $379,900 |
Houston HOA fees by building age
The fee per square foot column lets buyers compare a small unit in a pricey building against a large unit in a cheaper one.
| Decade built | Listings with a fee | Median monthly HOA fee | Median fee per sq ft | Median list price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1970 | 574 | $528 | $0.54 | $149,900 |
| 1970s | 1677 | $406 | $0.33 | $159,900 |
| 1980s | 1313 | $426 | $0.41 | $135,500 |
| 1990s | 182 | $398 | $0.21 | $337,500 |
| 2000s | 834 | $350 | $0.21 | $299,900 |
| 2010s | 292 | $332 | $0.15 | $437,000 |
| 2020s | 177 | $250 | $0.14 | $494,900 |
What a $417 monthly HOA fee does to your buying power
Lenders count HOA dues in your debt-to-income ratio exactly like a car payment, so every dollar of dues is a dollar of mortgage payment you cannot make. At the Freddie Mac average 30-year fixed rate of 7.32% for the week of October 22, 2026 (source), each $100 of monthly payment supports about $14,600 of loan. The Houston median condo fee of $417 therefore absorbs roughly $60,700 of borrowing power. Put differently, two buyers with identical incomes and down payments, one looking at a $417 fee building and one at a no-fee home, can afford list prices about $60,700 apart. Use the numbers in the neighborhood table to run the same math on the specific building you are considering, and ask the listing agent for the current fee rather than relying on the MLS field, which can lag a budget change by a year. The spread in Houston matters too: the difference between a 25th percentile fee ($280) and a 75th percentile fee ($583) is worth about $44,100 of loan.
What HOA fees cover in Texas, and why they are rising
In Texas, single family HOAs are governed by Property Code Chapter 209 and condo associations by Chapter 82. Single family dues are usually small and cover common-area landscaping, a pool or recreation center, and architectural control; condo dues add the master insurance policy, exterior maintenance, reserves and management, which is why condo fees are five to ten times higher than single family fees in the same city. Before closing, the seller must obtain a resale certificate from the association under Property Code Section 207.003. It discloses current and approved special assessments, unpaid amounts on the property, the operating budget, reserves, pending lawsuits and the common-area insurance certificate. The association may charge at most $375 for it and $75 for an update, and must deliver it within 10 business days (source). Under Chapter 209, owners can request association records, boards must offer a payment plan before escalating collections, and an HOA can foreclose only for unpaid assessments, not fines (source). A proposed statewide cap on assessment increases did not pass in the 2025 session, so there is no legal ceiling on how fast Texas dues can rise. Nationally, LendingTree's February 2026 survey found 82% of HOA residents saw fees rise over the past three years and 44% called the increase significant (source).
How to vet a Houston HOA before you buy
Treat the HOA like a second seller. Before you remove contingencies on a Houston condo or townhome, read the most recent budget and balance sheet, the reserve study, 12 months of board minutes, the master insurance declarations page and the CC&Rs. Look for five things: a reserve balance that is at least 30% of the fully funded level, no special assessment approved or under discussion, a master policy that has not been non-renewed or moved to a surplus-lines carrier, an owner-occupancy rate that will not block conventional or FHA financing, and no pending litigation. Ask how much dues rose in each of the last three years; in Houston the median fee was up 4.2% in the last year, and an association that has not raised dues in years is often one that has not been funding reserves.
How TurboHome helps
TurboHome is a flat fee buyer's brokerage serving Houston. Instead of keeping the full buyer-side commission offered by the seller, we charge a flat fee and credit the rest back to you at closing. Our agents tour with you, write and negotiate offers, and review HOA budgets, reserve studies and insurance before you waive contingencies. See how buyer rebates work in Texas and estimate your savings.
Methodology
Fees are the monthly association fee reported on MLS listings in TurboHome's data warehouse for homes in the city of Houston, TX, with a list date between October 29, 2025 and October 28, 2026 (the prior period is October 29, 2024 to October 28, 2025). Listings with no fee reported are counted as having no HOA, which slightly understates the share with a fee where agents left the field blank. Medians are of listings, not of buildings, so large complexes with many sales weigh more. Neighborhood rows are shown only where at least 15 listings with a fee were tagged to the neighborhood; building-age rows need at least 20. Fees reported annually or quarterly on the MLS were converted to monthly. Single family medians are shown only where at least 30 single family listings and at least 10% of them reported a fee; year-over-year changes are shown only for property types with at least 50 listings reporting a fee. Figures are aggregates and do not identify any listing; they are not a substitute for the association's own disclosure documents.
FAQ
What is the average HOA fee in Houston?
The median monthly HOA fee on a Houston condo listed between October 2025 and October 2026 was $417, and the middle half of listings fell between $280 and $583. Single family homes usually do carry a fee here, with a median of $52; 60.7% of single family listings reported an HOA fee.
Are HOA fees in Houston going up?
Yes in most buildings. The median condo fee was up 4.2% year over year, from $400 to $417. Rising insurance, labor and reserve contributions are the main drivers, and Texas has no statutory cap on assessment increases.
Do HOA fees count against my mortgage approval in Houston?
Yes. Lenders add the full monthly dues to your housing payment when they calculate your debt-to-income ratio. At a 7.32% rate, the $417 median Houston fee is equivalent to about $60,700 of loan balance, so a higher-fee building means a lower maximum purchase price for the same income.
Which Houston neighborhoods have the lowest HOA fees?
Among neighborhoods with at least 15 attached listings, Alief had the lowest median fee at $270 a month and Greater Uptown the highest at $641. Fees track amenities and building scale more than location: elevators, doormen, pools and parking structures cost far more to run than a walk-up with a shared yard.
What does a flat fee buyer's agent change about buying in an HOA?
Nothing about the HOA itself, but it changes your cash at closing. TurboHome charges a flat fee instead of the full buyer-side commission the seller offers, and the difference is credited back to you, which can cover years of dues. Our agents also review the HOA documents with you before you waive contingencies.
Related pages
- HOA fees across TurboHome's California and Texas markets
- Income needed to buy a home in Houston
- Buyer rebates in Texas
- Commission rebate calculator
- Flat fee buyer's agents in Texas
About the Author
Vinura Abeysundara
Vinura Abeysundara is a real estate and growth professional with experience scaling homebuying platforms across Canada and the United States. Formerly Head of Growth at Zown, he now works with TurboHome and writes about homebuyer savings, flat-fee real estate, commissions, and technology in real estate.
View Vinura on LinkedInAbout Jake Shuler
Agent, Texas
Jake Shuler is a Texas REALTOR® with more than 10 years of real estate experience and over 200 successful transactions. As an agent at TurboHome, he helps buyers navigate the Texas housing market and writes about homebuying, negotiations, local market trends, and ways buyers can save throughout the process.
View Jake's profile