Texas › Corpus Christi
What it actually costs to live in Corpus Christi right now.
Every number sourced. Checked this month.
Corpus Christi prices run about 7% under the national average, and rents slipped over the past year. The costs to watch here are not in a rent listing: water bills that rise every January to pay for drought-proofing, a desalination plan that keeps stalling, and windstorm insurance for a coastal county. Here is what each one costs now.
Numbers last checked October 31, 2026The numbers
Apartment List figures are medians on new leases. RentCafe figures are averages for large managed buildings. Property tax rates are per $100 of taxable value, so a $0.60 rate on a $250,000 home is $1,500 a year before exemptions.
| Topic | What | Cost | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | ||||
| Rent | 1-bedroom, median | $1,009 | Oct 2026 data | Apartment List |
| Rent | 2-bedroom, median | $1,234 | Oct 2026 data | Apartment List |
| Rent | All sizes, median | $1,217 | Oct 2026 data | Apartment List |
| Rent | Change, year over year (Texas overall: −1.5%) | −1.9% | Oct 2026 data | Apartment List |
| Rent | 1-bedroom, average (large buildings) | $990 | Sep 30, 2026 | RentCafe (Yardi Matrix) |
| Rent | 2-bedroom, average (large buildings) | $1,256 | Sep 30, 2026 | RentCafe (Yardi Matrix) |
| Buying | ||||
| Home prices | Metro median sale price (+3.3% vs. Q1 2025) | $276,750 | Q1 2026 | Texas REALTORS / TAMU |
| Home prices | Median asking price, active listings | $349,450 | Jul 2026 | Realtor.com via FRED |
| Home prices | Months of inventory (statewide: 5.5) | 9.0 | Q3 2026 | Texas REALTORS release (via Webull) |
| Property tax (per $100 of value) | ||||
| Property tax | City of Corpus Christi, maximum rate council set for FY 2027 | $0.599774 | 2026 tax year | City of Corpus Christi |
| Property tax | City no-new-revenue rate, for comparison | $0.596985 | 2026 tax year | City notice of 2026 rates |
| Property tax | Nueces County | $0.289789 | 2025 tax year | Nueces County budget |
| Property tax | Nueces County Hospital District (proposed) | $0.088501 | 2026 tax year | NCHD |
| Property tax | Corpus Christi ISD (proposed in June) | $0.9583 | 2026–27 school year | KRIS 6 |
| Sales tax | Combined rate (includes 0.5% for CCRTA transit) | 8.25% | Checked Oct 31, 2026 | Texas Comptroller |
| Water and other bills | ||||
| Water | Average residential increase, water | +$4.78/mo | Jan 1, 2026 | City of Corpus Christi |
| Wastewater | Average residential increase, wastewater | +$4.20/mo | Jan 1, 2026 | City of Corpus Christi |
| Water | Base charge, standard home meter, now → Jan 2027 | $17.25 → $19.11 | Jan 2027 | KRIS 6 |
| Wastewater | Base charge, now → Jan 2027 | $38.29 → $39.95 | Jan 2027 | KRIS 6 |
| Electricity | AEP Texas Central delivery: fixed charge | $3.24/mo | Sep 29, 2026 | ElectricityPlans (aggregator) |
| Electricity | AEP Texas Central delivery: per kWh | 5.6898¢ | Sep 29, 2026 | ElectricityPlans (aggregator) |
| Transit | CCRTA base fare / day pass / 31-day pass | $1.00 / $2.00 / $35 | Feb 2, 2026 | CCRTA |
| Transit | Reduced base fare / 31-day pass | $0.50 / $17.50 | Feb 2, 2026 | CCRTA |
| Pay and prices | ||||
| Income | Median household income, city (±$3,490) | $66,967 | 2024 ACS 1-year | Census Reporter |
| Price level | All items vs. U.S. = 100 (Texas: 97.1) | 92.7 | 2024 data | BEA via FRED |
The city council was set to adopt its final FY 2027 tax rate on Sept 8, 2026, at or below the ceiling shown; we have not yet confirmed the adopted figure. Nueces County’s 2026 rate, CCISD’s final 2026 rate and Del Mar College’s rate are still being checked. Homes in Flour Bluff or other districts pay a different school rate. The Census Bureau released 2025 ACS figures on Oct 29, 2026; we will swap them in once checked.
The water situation
Corpus Christi draws most of its water from two South Texas reservoirs, Choke Canyon and Lake Corpus Christi, and a long drought pushed them close to empty. July 2026 floods bought time: the city’s projected date for a Level 1 water emergency moved out to September 2028, after earlier projections of May 2026 and then September 2027. On Aug 4, 2026 the city eased rules from Stage 3 to Stage 2, with combined reservoir storage at 36.9%. Under Stage 2 you can water a lawn once every two weeks on your assigned day.
What an emergency would cost a household
- If a Level 1 emergency is declared, homes would be held to 6,000 gallons a month, with a surcharge of $4 per 1,000 gallons above that and $8 per 1,000 above 8,000. The Tribune cites 8,000 gallons as typical use.
- Base rates rise again in January 2027, on top of the January 2026 increase (table above).
The desalination plant
The Inner Harbor seawater desalination plant, estimated at nearly $1 billion, came back to the council in early September. On Sept 2, 2026 the council turned down a design contract with Corpus Christi Desal Partners, and the project stalled again even though the state had approved $757 million in SWIFT financing. The governor’s office criticized the vote. If you are buying a home here, assume water and wastewater bills keep climbing while the city settles on a long-term supply.
Windstorm insurance
Nueces County is one of the 14 coastal counties where the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association writes wind and hail coverage for people an insurer has turned down (TDI). Many standard homeowners policies near the coast exclude wind, so budget for a second policy. Two things to know:
- TWIA’s board voted on Aug 4, 2026 to file a 0% rate change for 2027, after its analysis found residential rates adequate by 9%. Policies renewing on or after Sept 1, 2026 get an automatic dwelling coverage bump of about 3%, which can nudge premiums up.
- TWIA stops writing new policies when a storm threatens. It did so on Oct 8, 2026 and lifted the pause on Oct 9. Line up coverage before you close, not when a hurricane is in the Gulf.
The statewide average homeowners premium was $3,489 in 2025 (preliminary). TDI does not publish a simple TWIA average by county, so we don’t show one. More on Texas insurance.
Neighborhood rents
Average rent across all unit sizes in large managed buildings, from RentCafe (as of Sep 30, 2026). The citywide average was $1,167, down 1.47% from a year earlier.
Out-of-date numbers you’ll still find online
Summer floods refilled the reservoirs enough to push the projection back (Texas Tribune, Jul 27, 2026). The city also dropped from Stage 3 to Stage 2 in August.
CCRTA’s new fares took effect Feb 2, 2026. The schedule calls for $1.25 in 2028 and $1.50 in 2030.
The council rejected a design contract on Sept 2, 2026. Older articles describing a 2026 decision or construction start are out of date.
The school-tax exemption went up statewide in Nov 2025. See Texas property taxes.
Personal vehicles stopped needing a safety inspection on Jan 1, 2025. Nueces County is not one of the emissions-testing counties.
Same everywhere in Texas
Corpus Christi is in the ERCOT market with retail choice, so you pick an electricity plan and AEP Texas Central adds its delivery charge; see Texas electricity. No state income tax, the 8.25% sales tax ceiling, the $140,000 homestead exemption and vehicle fees are on Texas taxes and pay and the Texas overview. Moving from out of state? Start with moving to Texas, and compare Corpus Christi with other cities on the comparison page.
How we check
Every figure links to its source and shows the date it applies to. We prefer the agency that produces the number, and we label anything from a marketplace, aggregator or news report. Several Corpus Christi numbers change soon: new water and wastewater rates in January 2027, 2026 property tax bills arriving now, and BEA’s 2025 price levels due Dec 10, 2026. Read the full methodology.