Real Cost of Guadalupe River Property

New Braunfels Combines County, City, and School District Rates

For a property inside New Braunfels city limits, the 2025 combined rate runs roughly $1.79 per $100 of assessed value, built from a Comal County rate of $0.269000, a City of New Braunfels rate of $0.408936, and a Comal ISD or New Braunfels ISD rate near $1.04 to $1.07, depending on which district serves the specific address.

Unincorporated Comal County Runs Meaningfully Lower

Property in unincorporated Comal County, including much of the Canyon Lake, Sattler, and Startzville area, avoids the city rate entirely, bringing the combined rate down to approximately 1.34 percent, though no single clean official source confirms this figure for every specific unincorporated parcel -- confirm directly with Comal County Appraisal District for a specific address.

Kerrville's Rate Now Includes a Temporary Post-Flood Increase

The City of Kerrville's FY2026 rate of $0.5711 per $100 includes an approximately 8 percent "disaster tax rate" increase approved in September 2025, explicitly tied to recovery from the July 2025 flood. Texas law allows this kind of temporary disaster rate increase for up to three years, meaning buyers should ask directly whether it's still in effect for any specific budget year under consideration.

Combined Kerrville-Area Rates Run Similar to New Braunfels

A property inside Kerrville city limits and Kerrville ISD carries a combined rate of roughly $1.81 per $100, built from the Kerr County total of $0.420143, the city's current disaster-inclusive rate, and the Kerrville ISD rate of $0.8200 -- broadly comparable to the New Braunfels combined rate despite the very different community character.

Ingram Offers a Lower-Cost Alternative Near Kerrville

The City of Ingram carries a considerably lower municipal rate of $0.3820, though Ingram ISD's rate of $0.9169 runs higher than Kerrville ISD's, meaning the two communities land in a broadly similar combined range once all entities are added together.

Hunt Remains Unincorporated With an Unconfirmed School Rate

Hunt carries no city tax as an unincorporated community, and is served by Hunt ISD, though a verified current Hunt ISD rate could not be confirmed in available public sources at the time of this research. Confirm directly with the Kerr County Appraisal District before budgeting around any specific figure for a Hunt-area property.

Worked Example: A $500,000 Property Near New Braunfels

At the roughly 1.79 percent combined city rate, a $500,000 property inside New Braunfels city limits would carry an estimated annual property tax bill near $8,950, before any homestead exemption is applied. The same value in unincorporated Comal County at roughly 1.34 percent would run closer to $6,700 annually.

Worked Example: A $500,000 Property Near Kerrville

At the roughly 1.81 percent combined Kerrville city-and-ISD rate, a comparable $500,000 property would carry an estimated annual bill near $9,050, reflecting both the standard local rate structure and the temporary post-flood disaster increase currently layered into the city portion.

Homestead Exemptions Meaningfully Reduce the Bill for Primary Residences

Texas's standard homestead exemption, along with additional exemptions for buyers 65 or older or with a qualifying disability, can meaningfully reduce the taxable value used to calculate these bills for a primary residence, though a vacation or rental property generally won't qualify for the same exemptions.

Insurance Costs Deserve Equal Weight Alongside Property Tax

Given this river's documented flood history on both its upper and lower stretches, budget realistically for homeowners and flood insurance alongside property tax -- our flood insurance page covers this in the detail it deserves given the severity of past events here.

Special Districts Can Add Small but Real Amounts in Some Areas

Emergency Services Districts within Comal County add anywhere from roughly $0.048 to $0.100 per $100 depending on the specific district, a modest but real addition on top of the county, city, and school rates. Confirm whether a specific property falls within an ESD before finalizing a full tax estimate.

Factor in Utility Setup Costs for More Rural River-Front Parcels

Some river-front parcels further from New Braunfels or Kerrville proper may rely on well water and septic systems rather than municipal utilities. Confirm exactly what infrastructure is already in place for a specific property, and get a firm estimate for any needed extensions, before finalizing a purchase budget.

Flood Insurance Costs Can Vary Sharply by Specific Stretch of River

Given the different flood risk profiles of the unregulated Kerr County stretch versus the dam-influenced New Braunfels stretch, flood insurance costs and availability can differ meaningfully even between two properties that both sit directly on the Guadalupe. Get a firm, address-specific quote rather than assuming a single riverwide insurance cost applies.

Consider HOA or Community Association Dues Where They Apply

Some newer developments and organized communities along the river carry HOA dues covering shared amenities, road maintenance, or community river access. Confirm whether a specific property carries HOA obligations and what they cover before finalizing an offer.

Compare Total Carrying Costs, Not Just the Purchase Price

Buyers comparing a New Braunfels-area property against a Kerrville-area property should compare total annual carrying costs, including property tax, insurance, and any HOA dues, rather than purchase price alone, since the two areas' cost structures can differ in ways that purchase price by itself won't reveal.

What This Means for Your Search

Property tax rates run broadly comparable between the New Braunfels and Kerrville areas of the Guadalupe, but the underlying communities, risk profiles, and current disaster-related rate adjustments differ enough that a specific address deserves its own careful, direct confirmation rather than a single lakewide -- or in this case, riverwide -- assumption.