Port Isabel, TX housing market
The typical Port Isabel home is worth about $264,000, up 2.7% in a year, 12% below the Texas typical home. Homes typically sell in 146 days.
Home values, sales, trends and how Port Isabel compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
Port Isabel at a glance
A buyer's market
More homes are for sale than are selling — about 9 months of supply. Buyers have room to negotiate.
Typical home value, 2016–2026
Show as a table
| January | Port Isabel | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $158,000 | $190,000 |
| 2018 | $163,000 | $202,000 |
| 2019 | $164,000 | $214,000 |
| 2020 | $155,000 | $223,000 |
| 2021 | $170,000 | $242,000 |
| 2022 | $223,000 | $286,000 |
| 2023 | $244,000 | $313,000 |
| 2024 | $265,000 | $311,000 |
| 2025 | $261,000 | $311,000 |
| 2026 | $259,000 | $303,000 |
| August 2026 | $264,000 | $299,000 |
42 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 42 new homes in Port Isabel in 2025: 40 single-family houses and 2 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $16.9 million to build. That's 8.2 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Texas as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Port Isabel has permitted 253 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Port Isabel gained 22 residents while 68 new homes were permitted: about 0.3 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across Texas: 2.6 new residents per new home.
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) | 51 | 51 | 0 | $8.6 million |
| 2025 | 42 | 40 | 2 | $16.9 million |
| 2024 | 40 | 11 | 29 | $7.1 million |
| 2023 | 38 | 10 | 28 | $6.9 million |
| 2022 | 30 | 26 | 4 | $4.7 million |
| 2021 | 22 | 20 | 2 | $4.6 million |
| 2020 | 45 | 7 | 38 | $4.8 million |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2017 | 10 | 5 | 5 | $1.5 million |
| 2016 | 14 | 7 | 7 | $1.2 million |
| 2015 | 14 | 7 | 7 | $1.2 million |
| 2014 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $608,000 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $72,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $36,000 |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $789,000 |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $876,000 |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2005 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $803,000 |
| 2004 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2003 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2002 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2001 | 118 | 42 | 76 | $6.1 million |
| 2000 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $2 million |
How Port Isabel 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.
Port Isabel and its neighbors
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Isabel | $264K | +2.7% | $970 | 42 | $32,222 |
| Brownsville | $199K | +1.5% | $1,080 | 1,421 | $52,130 |
| Laguna Heights | — | −1%† | $970 | — | — |
† FHFA price index change, where Zillow has no home value for the town.
8.2 years of income
The typical Port Isabel home costs about 8.2 years of the town's median household income, more than across Texas (3.8 years).
How Port Isabel 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 $970
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Port Isabel is $970 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in Port Isabel pay a median of $748, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put. A two-bedroom takes about 36% of the town's median household income, above the 30% guideline for affordable housing.
Studio $720 · 4 bedrooms $1,370
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (78578; 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.