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Dallas, Texas

The big city, block by block.

Living in Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the ninth largest U.S. city, and price, taxes and school district can change from one neighborhood to the next.

By Albert Angarita, REALTOR®Updated October 2026Sources listed below
Talk to Albert →Neighborhoods
Licensed REALTOR®Texas #0773351, Amazing Brokerage
10+ yearsConstruction and remodeling
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The Star, FriscoFormation, 5 Cowboys Way
The read

Why Dallas

Dallas County, with portions in Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall counties

Dallas is not one market. It is a 340 square mile city where a high-rise condo in Uptown, a 1920s Tudor in the M Streets and a one acre lot in Preston Hollow all share a city name and very little else. The city reaches into five counties, and the school district on your tax bill depends on the exact address. For people relocating to North Texas, the smartest first step is picking the part of Dallas that matches your daily life, then narrowing to streets.

Here is the lesson most relocating buyers learn too late: compare the full property tax rate, not just the price. A typical Dallas County address inside Dallas ISD carried a combined 2025 rate of about 2.23%, while a Frisco home in Collin County was about 1.68%. On a $500,000 home, that gap is roughly $2,750 a year before exemptions. Sometimes the city location is worth it, and sometimes the suburb wins, but you should run that math before you fall in love with a house.

Market snapshot

The numbers

$443K[1]
Median sale price
Aug 2026, Zillow
$303K[1]
Typical home value
Sept 2026, down 1.4% year over year, Zillow
39[1]
Median days to pending
Sept 2026, Zillow
64.5%[1]
Homes sold below list
June 2026, Zillow
2.23% to 2.34%[2]
Combined tax rate
Tax year 2025, Dallas County portion
9th in the U.S.[9]
Population rank
Census estimates reported May 2026
Living here

Schools, taxes, commute

Schools

Most of Dallas is in Dallas ISD, but not all of it. Lake Highlands is largely served by Richardson ISD (Lake Highlands High School is an RISD campus), Far North Dallas splits among Richardson ISD, Plano ISD and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD depending on the county, and other districts serve pockets at the city's edges. Dallas ISD voters approved a $6.2 billion bond on May 2, 2026 that plans 26 replacement schools, so always confirm the zoned campuses by address before you buy.

Dallas ISDRichardson ISDPlano ISDCarrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
Property taxes

For tax year 2025, a Dallas County address in Dallas ISD paid about 2.23% combined (city 0.6988, Dallas ISD 0.9938, Dallas County 0.2155, Parkland Hospital 0.2120, Dallas College 0.1066 per $100). Inside Richardson ISD the total rises to about 2.34%. On a $400,000 home at 2.23%, that is about $8,900 a year, or roughly $740 a month before homestead exemptions, which lower the real bill (the city offers a 20% homestead exemption and a $175,000 exemption for owners 65 and older or disabled).

Commute
Downtown Dallasapproximate off-peak, depends on neighborhood (US 75, I-35E, Dallas North Tollway)5-25 min
Legacy West, Planoapproximate off-peak from Uptown via Dallas North Tollway25-30 min
DFW Airportapproximate off-peak from Uptown via TX-183 or TX-114, or DART Silver Line from North Dallas20-25 min
The Star, Friscoapproximate off-peak from Uptown via Dallas North Tollway30-35 min
On the map

Where Dallas sits

Drive times, schools and shopping around it. Ask me for a tour of the area.

Open in Google Maps →

What is coming

Being built now

Dallas ISD $6.2 billion bond

Approved by voters on May 2, 2026, roughly 3 to 1. The plan calls for 26 new schools replacing buildings that average about 70 years old, plus renovations at every campus.[3]

New convention center downtown

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center rebuild totals 2.1 million square feet and is set to debut in 2030. Demolition of older halls is underway.[4]

Goldman Sachs campus

An 800,000 square foot, 14 story campus in the NorthEnd development near Victory Park, designed for more than 5,000 employees and expected to finish in late 2027.[5]

DART Silver Line

Opened October 25, 2025: a 26 mile commuter rail line with 10 stations running from DFW Airport Terminal B through Carrollton, Addison and Richardson to Shiloh Road in Plano.[6]

Neighborhoods

Where to look in Dallas

UptownDense, walkable district just north of downtown with high-rise condos and apartments, the free M-Line trolley and the Katy Trail on its edge. Typical value in ZIP 75204 was about $491K (Sept 2026).
LakewoodEast Dallas next to White Rock Lake, known for early 20th century to 1950s Craftsman, Tudor and Spanish Eclectic homes and the 1938 Lakewood Theater. Typical value in ZIP 75214 was about $839K (Sept 2026).
Preston HollowNorth Dallas area about 6 miles from downtown, incorporated in 1939 and annexed in 1945, with large estate lots and a long history of ranch teardowns and new builds. Typical value in ZIP 75225 was about $2.08M (Sept 2026).
Bishop Arts and North Oak CliffShops, restaurants and galleries about two miles southwest of downtown, built in the 1920s and connected by the Dallas Streetcar since 2016. Typical value in ZIP 75208 was about $411K (Sept 2026).
M Streets (Greenland Hills)1920s Tudor homes between US 75 and Greenville Avenue, protected as a conservation district and zoned to Woodrow Wilson High School. Typical value in ZIP 75206 was about $606K (Sept 2026).
Lake HighlandsNortheast Dallas north of White Rock Lake, mostly late 20th century homes, largely served by Richardson ISD. Typical value in ZIP 75238 was about $631K (Sept 2026).
Far North DallasBetween LBJ Freeway and the Bush Turnpike, the only part of Dallas in three counties, served by Richardson, Plano or Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. Typical value in ZIP 75252 was about $605K (Sept 2026).
From Albert

Before you buy or sell

Buying here

Pick the school district and tax bill first, then the house. Two homes a mile apart in Dallas can sit in different ISDs and even different counties, and a Dallas County address carried roughly 0.5 points more in 2025 tax rate than a Frisco or Plano address in Collin County. With homes taking a median of 39 days to go pending (Sept 2026), most buyers have time to verify zoning, pull the tax history and negotiate.

Selling here

Pricing is the whole game in Dallas right now. In June 2026, 64.5% of Dallas homes sold below list price and the median home sold at about 98% of its asking price, so an optimistic list price usually means a price cut later. From my years in remodeling, the updates that tend to pay back here are the ones buyers see on day one: paint, lighting, flooring and a clean inspection report, not a full custom kitchen right before you list.

Albert Angarita, REALTOR
Reviews

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FAQ

Questions people ask about Dallas

Is Dallas a good place to live if I'm relocating?
It depends on which Dallas you choose. Uptown suits people who want to walk to restaurants and work, Lakewood and the M Streets suit buyers who want older homes with character, and Preston Hollow and Far North Dallas suit buyers who want space or suburban-style schools inside the city. Start by mapping your commute and school needs, then shortlist two or three areas.
What are property taxes in Dallas?
For tax year 2025, a typical Dallas County address in Dallas ISD paid about 2.23% combined, and about 2.34% inside Richardson ISD. That is higher than Frisco (about 1.68% in Collin County) or Plano (about 1.71%). File your homestead exemption as soon as you move in, because it lowers the taxable value on several of those rates.
Which school district is Dallas in?
Most of the city is in Dallas ISD, but Lake Highlands is largely in Richardson ISD and Far North Dallas is split among Richardson ISD, Plano ISD and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. Several other districts serve smaller pockets. Always confirm the zoned schools for the exact address with the district.
How long does it take to sell a home in Dallas?
Homes in Dallas took a median of 39 days to go pending in September 2026, up from about 34 days in July, according to Zillow. Add 30 to 45 days for a typical financed closing. Pricing correctly from the first week is the best way to stay near that median.
Is it cheaper to live in Dallas or the northern suburbs?
Purchase prices are lower in Dallas on average: the median sale price was about $443K in August 2026 versus about $637K in Frisco and $799K in Prosper. Tax rates run the other way, about 2.23% in Dallas versus 1.68% in Frisco for 2025. Compare total monthly payment, not just list price.
Does Dallas have good public transit to the airport?
Yes, more than it used to. The DART Silver Line opened October 25, 2025 and connects DFW Airport Terminal B to Plano through Carrollton, Addison and Richardson, which helps if you live in North Dallas. Check how close a home is to a station if you travel often.
Working with Albert

Your realtor in Dallas

Buying or selling in Dallas means knowing more than the city average. Homes here can fall in Dallas ISD, Richardson ISD, Plano ISD or Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD; combined 2025 tax rates run about 2.23% to 2.34% depending on the address, and communities like Uptown, Lakewood, Preston Hollow and Bishop Arts and North Oak Cliff each behave like their own market.

As your Dallas realtor I verify the school zoning, the full tax rate and any HOA, MUD or PID for every home before you write an offer, and I bring more than ten years of construction and remodeling experience to every inspection and pricing decision. I work from Formation at The Star in Frisco and help clients in English and Spanish.

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Nearby
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Sources
  1. Zillow Home Value Index and market data: Dallas, TX (and ZIPs 75204, 75206, 75208, 75214, 75225, 75238, 75252; Frisco, Prosper), 2026-10
  2. Dallas County Tax Office: 2025 Tax Rates, 2026-10
  3. Dallas ISD Bond 2026, 2026-10
  4. Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas: Expansion and Master Plan, 2026-10
  5. Construction Dive: Goldman Sachs Dallas office campus, 2026-10
  6. DART: Silver Line launches Oct. 25, connecting seven cities and DFW Airport, 2026-10
  7. Republic Title: 2025 DFW Tax Rates, 2026-10
  8. City of Dallas: City Council approves budget for FY 2025-26, 2026-10
  9. NBC DFW: Fort Worth ranked 10th largest city in U.S. (Dallas 9th), 2026-10
  10. Wikipedia: Far North Dallas (counties and school districts), 2026-10
  11. Wikipedia: Lakewood, Dallas, 2026-10
  12. Wikipedia: Preston Hollow, Dallas, 2026-10
  13. Wikipedia: Greenland Hills (M Streets), Dallas, 2026-10
  14. Wikipedia: Bishop Arts District, 2026-10
  15. Wikipedia: Uptown, Dallas, 2026-10
  16. Wikipedia: Lake Highlands High School (Richardson ISD), 2026-10
  17. Wikipedia: Silver Line (DART), 2026-10
  18. Wikipedia: Dallas (counties, area, 2020 census), 2026-10

Figures change. Verify school zoning, tax rates and HOA or MUD fees for any specific address before you buy. Albert does this on every home he shows.