What a Princeton home costs each year
Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.
Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.
Starts at the typical market value, $331,000; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.
- Property tax$4,551
1.907% of $331,000, less $140,000 school homestead exemption and less $16,550 collin county homestead exemption and less $66,200 collin college homestead exemption
- Electricity and gas$3,361
1096 kWh a month $2,112 · 42.2 therms $1,249
- Water and sewer$1,317
5,000 gallons a month on City of Princeton: water $58, sewer $45, storm water $6, tax (inside city limits) $2 a month
- Trash$245
Trash and recycling cart, $20 a month
- Home insurance$2,397
Typical premium $2,397
Shopping for home insurance?
Insurers charge very different prices for the same house and coverage. Texas's free HelpInsure.com comparison lists each insurer's price.
Compare insurers' pricesA Princeton house at the typical market value ($331,000) costs about $11,900 a year: $4,550 property tax and charges, $1,320 water and sewer, $250 trash, $3,360 electricity and gas, $2,400 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Ways to pay less
Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:
Princeton City exemptions listed at 25,00025,000 in both columns
Collin County's 2026 summary lists Princeton City at 25,000 under OVER AGE 65 and 25,000 under DISABILITY.
How: See the Collin County Tax Assessor.
Princeton ISD exemptions listed at 140,000 and 60,000$60,000 off school taxable value
Collin County's 2026 summary lists Princeton ISD at 140,000 under HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, 60,000 under OVER AGE 65 and 60,000 under DISABILITY.
How: See the Collin County Tax Assessor.
No fee to file the homestead exemption form
There is no fee to file the homestead exemption form.
How: See Collin County Tax Assessor.
Money dates
- Jan 31, 2027in 87 daysTo avoid penalties pay your taxes by January 31, 2027.
Who serves this house
- Water
- City of Princeton
- Residential Inside Water: minimum charges ($ / month) and volumetric charges ($ / kgal)
- Property tax
- 1.91% of value
- 2026
- Garbage
- Community Waste Disposal (city contract)
- One grey trash cart and one blue recycling cart per single-family household
- Gas
- Atmos Energy, Mid-Tex Division
- Princeton is listed among the cities in Atmos Mid-Tex's tariffs
- Schools
- Princeton ISD
- $1.2011 per $100 in 2026
Your water
- Water source
- The city's report says its drinking water is delivered by the North Texas Municipal Water District.
Other TX cities
Austin home costsCollege Station home costsCorpus Christi home costsDenton home costsLeague City home costsPflugerville home costsSan Marcos home costsThe Colony home costsEl Paso home costsSchertz home costsBryan home costsLaredo home costsFate home costsKyle home costsBenbrook home costsManor home costsWichita Falls home costsBaytown home costsLago Vista home costsOdessa home costsMission home costsCopperas Cove home costsSeguin home costsWhite Settlement home costsGatesville home costsUvalde home costsRobinson home costsGranbury home costsLockhart home costsBuda home costs
How these numbers are made
- Water and sewer use the City of Princeton FY 2027 residential inside-city schedule (ORD-2026-09-28-06); the 3/4-inch meter minimum charge applies.
- Sewer volume charges are banded (5.47 up to 3 kgal, 6.70 from 3 to 6 kgal); the per-kgal figure is the average at 5 kgal, the city's own bill-comparison use, and billing is on the winter average.
- Trash plus recycling, storm water and bill sales tax are from the city's rate table; these are the amounts shown for inside-city customers.
- Tax rates are the 2026 Collin County rate summary: city, county, Collin College, Princeton ISD. Some Princeton neighborhoods have MUD or PID assessments that are not included.
- Electricity is a statewide EIA average since Princeton customers choose a retail provider; gas is Atmos Mid-Tex Rate R.
- Typical home value is a Census market median, not an appraisal-district assessed median.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
How Princeton compares
A typical Princeton house against the 31 Texas cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | Princeton | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 1.91% | 2.03% | lower than 23 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover |
| Water | $692 | $690 | higher than 16 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $625 | $687 | lower than 19 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover |
| Trash | $245 | $276 | lower than 25 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover |
| Electricity and gas | $3,361 | $2,690 | higher than 30 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover |
| Home insurance | $2,397 | $2,397 | lower than 1 of the other 27 Texas cities we cover |
| Total | $11,872 | $11,060 | higher than 20 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover |
Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.
Questions to ask your candidates
Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.
1. Property tax rate
The fact: Princeton's property tax rate is 1.91%, lower than 23 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.
Ask: "Property tax in Princeton is 1.91%, lower than 23 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"
2. Trash
The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $245 a year for the standard cart, lower than 25 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.
Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $245 a year for the standard cart, lower than 25 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"
3. Electricity and gas
The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,361 a year, higher than 30 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.
Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $3,361 a year for a typical house, higher than 30 of the other 30 Texas cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"
Common questions about Princeton house costs
What is the property tax rate in Princeton?
About 1.91% of the value before exemptions a year (2026), plus flat charges on the same bill.
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Princeton?
About $7,733 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the school homestead exemption.
How much is the water bill in Princeton?
About $110 a month for water and sewer at typical use (5,000 gallons a month) on City of Princeton.
How much does trash pickup cost in Princeton?
$20 a month for a house.
Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Princeton?
Yes. Princeton City exemptions listed at 25,000: Collin County's 2026 summary lists Princeton City at 25,000 under OVER AGE 65 and 25,000 under DISABILITY.
How much does a house in Princeton cost to run each year?
A Princeton house at the typical market value ($331,000) costs about $11,900 a year: $4,550 property tax and charges, $1,320 water and sewer, $250 trash, $3,360 electricity and gas, $2,400 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.