You've probably been told Aubrey is one of the more affordable options left in the DFW metro. That's partially true — and partially a trap. The typical home price sits below what you'd pay in many established suburbs to the south, but Aubrey's overall cost of living runs modestly above the national average, driven by housing, the reality that you'll own two cars here, and a property tax rate that surprises people who moved from states where the income tax did the heavy lifting. The honest answer is that Aubrey is a relative bargain compared to Frisco or Little Elm, not an absolute one.
What brings people here is a specific trade: newer construction, more square footage per dollar, and a quieter pace on the northern edge of Denton County — in exchange for a longer commute and a complete dependence on a personal vehicle. Aubrey Independent School District holds a B rating, according to the Texas Education Agency, which matters to the families with school-age children who make up the bulk of buyers in the master-planned communities along US-380 and US-377. The city's population of 9,066 is growing fast, and the infrastructure is catching up in real time.
The median household income in Aubrey is $100,596 — a comfortable figure in most Texas markets. The catch is that it falls just short of what's needed to carry the typical home price here, meaning a meaningful share of buyers are stretching, bringing equity from a prior home, or running two incomes at full capacity. That's not unusual for a DFW suburb in 2026, but it's worth knowing before you build your budget.
Whether you're weighing a move from a pricier suburb, relocating from out of state, or simply trying to understand what monthly life here actually costs, the sections below break down Aubrey's housing market, everyday expenses, how it stacks up against neighboring cities, and what the Texas tax structure means for your bottom line.
What It Really Costs to Live in Aubrey
Aubrey sits about 7.6% above the U.S. national average for overall cost of living, according to BestPlaces. That number feels counterintuitive when you're comparing sticker prices to Frisco or Plano — but those cities are the benchmark working against you, not in your favor.
The three drivers are housing, transportation, and food. Housing is the largest line item by a wide margin, and it's the one that sets Aubrey's ceiling and floor. Transportation costs are structurally higher here than in denser metros — every errand, every school run, every commute means getting in a car, and the miles add up fast. Grocery costs, by contrast, actually run slightly below the national average, which softens the blow somewhat.
Compared to nearby cities, Aubrey's pricing is roughly level with Denton, noticeably above Providence Village, and noticeably below Little Elm. For buyers coming out of the more established southern suburbs of DFW, Aubrey reads as a genuine step down in price — but the savings come with a longer drive to everything and a property tax rate that is not especially gentle. The full neighborhood breakdown gives more context on which parts of the city feel most complete for daily life right now.
Housing: Rent vs Buy in Aubrey
The Purchase Market
The typical home price in Aubrey is $346,440 as of July 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. Entry-level homes — typically older resale stock or smaller floorplans in the less amenity-heavy communities — start meaningfully below that figure. Newer construction in the larger master-planned communities pushes well above it. If you're targeting the entry point, expect to sacrifice either size, age, or proximity to the newer amenities that define daily life in the fastest-growing parts of the city.
The effective property tax rate is approximately 1.73%. That's higher than the Texas state median and significantly above the national median, which tends to catch buyers relocating from states with income taxes — they expect one or the other, and Texas delivers the property tax in full. There's an additional wrinkle specific to Aubrey: many of the newer master-planned developments sit within a Fresh Water Supply District (FWSD) or Municipal Utility District (MUD), which layers additional tax levies on top of the county base rate. FWSD rates in Denton County can range from $0.19 to $0.65 per $100 of assessed value, and MUD rates can exceed $1.00 per $100. Before you make an offer in any of the newer communities, confirm which districts the property falls under — the difference in annual tax load can be substantial.
The Rental Market
The city-wide typical rent is $1,785 per month as of July 2026, according to Zillow. That figure is consistent with a suburban DFW market where most rental stock is newer apartment construction or single-family rentals in the same master-planned communities where buyers are purchasing. Renting makes the most sense here for people in a short transition — one to two years — or for those who want to learn the city before committing to a specific community. Longer-term, renting at this level is not dramatically cheaper than carrying a purchase given current pricing, and you lose the ability to shop your electricity rate and control your own maintenance costs.
The interactive mortgage calculator below will show you what monthly payments look like at different down payment levels and current rates — use it as your real starting point rather than any rough rule of thumb.
Everyday Costs Beyond Housing in Aubrey
| Category | Typical Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (typical rent) | $1,785/mo | City-wide typical rent. Buying? Use the calculator above for a mortgage estimate. |
| Utilities | $210–$310/mo | Electricity, gas, water, sewer, trash |
| Groceries | $520–$720/mo | Food at home, household of 2–3 |
| Transportation & Gas | $200–$320/mo | Fuel, and transit where it is a real option |
| Phone & Internet | $110–$180/mo | Mobile plan plus home broadband |
| Misc / Discretionary | $250–$480/mo | Dining out, entertainment, subscriptions |
Non-housing figures are estimates for a household of two to three, not a sourced index; housing is the city-wide typical rent (Zillow ZORI, July 2026). Refreshed with the rest of the city data.
Aubrey's climate is the other variable that shapes the monthly budget in ways transplants from the Midwest or Pacific Northwest don't fully anticipate. North Texas summers are long and aggressive — average Texas residential electric bills run approximately $164 per month based on full-year EIA data, but summer months alone typically push into the $220–$280 range when air conditioning runs continuously for weeks at a time. Aubrey falls within Oncor Electric Delivery's service territory, which is part of Texas's deregulated electricity market. That means you can shop your retail electricity provider from dozens of licensed suppliers, and doing so at the right time can meaningfully reduce what you pay per kilowatt-hour — it's one of the first things residents learn to do after their first July bill arrives.
Beyond electricity, the cost picture is relatively forgiving. Grocery prices run approximately 2% below the national average, and fuel prices run about 11% below the national average. The practical reality of daily life in Aubrey is that most errands, commutes, and school runs mean getting in a car — the typical household here budgets for two vehicles as a matter of course. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is approximately 36 miles away. Budget the insurance, maintenance, and fuel for that two-car reality from day one — it's the transportation cost that BestPlaces is capturing in its above-average score, not the pump price alone.
Looking to buy in Aubrey? Estimate your payment.
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Estimate only. Excludes HOA fees and mortgage insurance. The interest rate above is a starting point, not a quoted rate — replace it with your own to see real numbers. Insurance is a flat placeholder, not a Aubrey quote.
Aubrey vs Nearby Cities: Cost Comparison
| City | Typical Home Price | Typical Rent | Cost vs Aubrey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aubrey (this city) | $346,440 | $1,785/mo | — |
| Denton | $350,224 | $1,533/mo | About the same |
| Providence Village | $280,000 | $1,700/mo | 19% lower |
| Little Elm | $400,423 | $2,294/mo | 16% higher |
Source — home prices: Zillow ZHVI, July 2026; rent: Zillow ZORI, July 2026. Nearby-city figures are the same series, refreshed together.
Aubrey sits at a specific price point in the Denton County market — below the more developed southern suburbs but above the smallest outlying towns — and the table below shows how it lines up against the cities buyers most often compare it to.
Taxes & the Bottom Line for Aubrey
The Texas Tax Advantage — and Its Limits
Texas levies no individual state income tax, and no county or city can impose one either. Your earnings are subject only to federal taxation, which is a genuine structural benefit compared to states like California, Oregon, or New York. For a household earning around the Aubrey median of $100,596, the absence of state income tax is worth real money annually — and it's one of the most consistent reasons people cite when they say Texas feels more affordable than their prior state even when the home prices look similar.
The sales tax rate in the Aubrey area reaches up to 8.25%, built from a 6.25% Texas state base plus local additions of up to 2%. That's on the higher end of the national range for combined sales tax. The useful offset: Texas exempts groceries from sales tax entirely, so your food spending doesn't compound the rate the way it does in many other states.
The Property Tax Reality
The place where the Texas tax trade-off hits hardest is property taxes. At approximately 1.73%, Aubrey's effective rate is higher than the Texas state median and well above the national median. Layered on top of a home priced at the level noted in the first section above, the annual tax obligation is real and non-negotiable. For buyers coming from California, where Proposition 13 caps assessed-value increases, the absence of that protection in Texas is the single largest sticker shock in the first full year of ownership. Values are reassessed annually, and in a fast-growing community like Aubrey, those assessments have moved with the market.
Who Fits This Budget, Honestly
Aubrey makes the most financial sense for dual-income households with a combined income comfortably above the local median — families who can absorb the property tax rate, run two vehicles, and still have margin for savings. It also works well for buyers bringing meaningful equity out of a prior home, particularly those relocating from higher-priced metros where that equity closes the gap the income alone doesn't. Buyers who are stretching to the top of their qualification range, relying on a single income, or expecting the Texas no-income-tax savings to fully offset the property tax load tend to find the math tighter than expected. For a fuller picture of how retirees and downsizers fit the Aubrey budget, see the retiring in Aubrey guide.
Local Expert Takeaway: The number that catches most Aubrey buyers off guard isn't the home price — it's the property tax bill in year one, especially in a newer master-planned community inside a MUD or FWSD. Before you fall for a floorplan in Sandbrock Ranch or ArrowBrooke, pull the full tax district breakdown for that specific parcel. The county base rate is only one layer of what you'll actually pay. Get that number, run it through the calculator, and then decide whether Aubrey's square footage and school district are worth the monthly cost to you — because for many families making the drive from Frisco or Denton, they genuinely are.
Quick Takeaways & FAQs
✅ Texas has no state income tax, which meaningfully reduces the total tax burden for Aubrey households compared to residents of California, Oregon, or most northeastern states.
⚠️ The effective property tax rate of approximately 1.73% — plus potential MUD or FWSD surcharges in many newer communities — makes Aubrey's annual tax load substantially heavier than the national median, and catches buyers from low-property-tax states off guard.
📍 Daily life in Aubrey means a car for virtually everything — most households budget for two vehicles, with US-380 and US-377 as the primary routes connecting the city to the broader DFW metro.
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