Brownsville, TX housing market
The typical Brownsville home is worth about $199,000, up 1.5% in a year, 33% below the Texas typical home. Homes typically sell in 51 days, close to asking.
Home values, sales, trends and how Brownsville compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
Brownsville at a glance
A balanced market
About 4.4 months of supply: neither buyers nor sellers have a clear edge.
Typical home value, 2016–2026
Show as a table
| January | Brownsville | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $111,000 | $190,000 |
| 2018 | $115,000 | $202,000 |
| 2019 | $116,000 | $214,000 |
| 2020 | $116,000 | $223,000 |
| 2021 | $133,000 | $242,000 |
| 2022 | $160,000 | $286,000 |
| 2023 | $178,000 | $313,000 |
| 2024 | $189,000 | $311,000 |
| 2025 | $195,000 | $311,000 |
| 2026 | $198,000 | $303,000 |
| August 2026 | $199,000 | $299,000 |
1,421 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1,421 new homes in Brownsville in 2025: 812 single-family houses and 609 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $170.2 million to build. That's 7.5 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Texas as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Brownsville has permitted 9,339 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Brownsville gained 11,715 residents while 6,433 new homes were permitted: about 1.8 new residents per new home. Building and growth moved roughly in step. Across Texas: 2.6 new residents per new home.
How Brownsville ranks on housing keeping up with growth →
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 censuses. New homes: permits issued 2010–2019.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 940 | 505 | 435 | $110.3 million |
| 2025 | 1,421 | 812 | 609 | $170.2 million |
| 2024 | 1,070 | 706 | 364 | $148 million |
| 2023 | 824 | 751 | 73 | $135.8 million |
| 2022 | 1,170 | 817 | 353 | $238.1 million |
| 2021 | 1,129 | 883 | 246 | $114.8 million |
| 2020 | 970 | 772 | 198 | $97.5 million |
| 2019 | 937 | 679 | 258 | $98.8 million |
| 2018 | 665 | 665 | 0 | $67.5 million |
| 2017 | 581 | 575 | 6 | $64.8 million |
| 2016 | 572 | 568 | 4 | $84.4 million |
| 2015 | 565 | 519 | 46 | $54.6 million |
| 2014 | 609 | 549 | 60 | $64.9 million |
| 2013 | 657 | 545 | 112 | $60.6 million |
| 2012 | 634 | 570 | 64 | $59 million |
| 2011 | 613 | 611 | 2 | $58.7 million |
| 2010 | 600 | 578 | 22 | $57.3 million |
| 2009 | 496 | 480 | 16 | $50.4 million |
| 2008 | 464 | 464 | 0 | $47.4 million |
| 2007 | 907 | 861 | 46 | $86.3 million |
| 2006 | 1,386 | 1,316 | 70 | $112 million |
| 2005 | 1,666 | 1,428 | 238 | $138.8 million |
| 2004 | 1,730 | 1,468 | 262 | $131.8 million |
| 2003 | 1,737 | 1,649 | 88 | $138.2 million |
| 2002 | 2,026 | 1,723 | 303 | $145.7 million |
| 2001 | 1,554 | 1,425 | 129 | $108.5 million |
| 2000 | 1,763 | 1,549 | 214 | $111.3 million |
How Brownsville ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, through August 2026.
Brownsville and its neighbors
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville | $199K | +1.5% | $1,080 | 1,421 | $52,130 |
| Encantada-Ranchito-El Calaboz | — | +1%† | $990 | — | $45,505 |
| Port Isabel | $264K | +2.7% | $970 | 42 | $32,222 |
| Villa Pancho | — | +0.7%† | $1,050 | — | $49,432 |
| Los Fresnos | $227K | +1.9% | $1,000 | 116 | $61,938 |
| Reid Hope King | — | +0.7%† | $1,050 | — | — |
| Del Mar Heights | — | +1.5%† | $1,000 | — | — |
† FHFA price index change, where Zillow has no home value for the town.
3.8 years of income
The typical Brownsville home costs about 3.8 years of the town's median household income, about the same as across Texas (3.8).
How Brownsville ranks on affordability →
Home value ÷ ACS median household income.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,080
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Brownsville is $1,080 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in Brownsville pay a median of $923, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put. A two-bedroom takes about 25% of the town's median household income.
Studio $800 · 4 bedrooms $1,520
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (78520, 78521, 78526, 78566, 78575, 78578 and 1 more; Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, August 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 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. Listings link to their publishers.