A lot of people come through Fort Hood expecting to leave. A surprising number of them retire and buy a house a short drive from the gate instead.
I was a military spouse for close to twenty years, so I understand the pull of finally picking a place and staying. Here is why Temple and Belton keep coming up when people make that choice, and what to check before you do.
The medical care is here
This is the reason I hear first. Temple is home to the Olin E. Teague Veterans' Medical Center, the main hospital of the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System. It offers primary care and a long list of specialty services, including cardiology, mental health and PTSD care, spinal cord injury treatment, prosthetics, dental, and a 24-hour emergency department.
Across town is Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple, a 636-bed teaching hospital and Level I trauma center. For a retiree managing ongoing care, having both in the same city matters more than almost anything else on this list.
Texas doesn't tax your retirement pay
Texas has no state income tax, so your military retired pay, VA compensation and Social Security aren't taxed by the state. The trade-off is property taxes, which are higher here than in many states. For retirees, the exemptions below change that math a lot.
The property tax exemptions are substantial
Every Texas homeowner who lives in the house gets the general homestead exemption, now $140,000 off the value for school taxes. On top of that:
- At 65, another $60,000 comes off for school taxes, and your school tax bill is frozen at that level going forward.
- Veterans with a VA disability rating get an additional exemption on value that scales with the rating: up to $5,000 at 10–29%, $7,500 at 30–49%, $10,000 at 50–69%, and $12,000 at 70% or higher.
- Veterans rated 100% disabled, or rated as individually unemployable, can have their homestead fully exempt from property taxes.
- Surviving spouses of veterans who had the 100% exemption can generally keep it, as long as they don't remarry.
If you qualify for the full exemption, it can be the difference between a $450 monthly tax line and none at all. File with the Bell County Appraisal District as soon as you close. Disabled veterans can also apply late, up to five years after the tax delinquency date, so if you've owned a home here and never filed, look into it.
Fort Hood is still close
Retirees keep commissary and exchange privileges, and a lot of people want to stay close to the community they served in. Belton and Temple put you within driving distance of Fort Hood without living right at the gate. The Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, run by the Texas Veterans Land Board, is in Killeen as well, which matters to more families than you might expect.
What the houses cost
According to the Zillow Home Value Index as of July 31, 2026, the typical home in Temple was worth about $248,000 and in Belton about $316,000. Both were down a few percent from a year earlier. That means retirees buying this fall have more room to negotiate than they did a couple of years ago. I broke down the town-by-town numbers in my Bell County market update.
Using your VA loan one more time
Your VA home loan benefit doesn't end when you retire. If you've used it before and sold that house, your entitlement can be restored and used again. If you receive VA disability compensation, you don't pay the funding fee at all. And with no monthly mortgage insurance, it often beats a conventional loan even when you have cash to put down. A VA-approved lender can pull your certificate of eligibility and tell you exactly where you stand. The two I work with are on my partners page.
What I'd check before you choose
- Drive to the VA medical center and to your other regular appointments from any house you're serious about, at the time of day you'd actually go.
- Think about single-story living now, even if stairs don't bother you yet. It's easier to buy it than to add it later.
- Ask whether the house is inside city limits. It affects your tax rate, your utilities, and what you can do with the property.
- If you plan to use the disabled veteran exemption, factor it into your budget only after your rating letter is in hand.
If you're retiring out of Fort Hood, or coming back to Central Texas after retiring somewhere else, tell me what you're looking for. I'll give you the honest version of the Temple and Belton neighborhoods, and more about how I help military families is on my military relocation page.
Sources: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Olin E. Teague Veterans' Center. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple facility information. Texas Comptroller, disabled veteran and surviving spouse property tax exemptions. Texas General Land Office, Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery. Zillow Home Value Index for Temple and Belton, as of July 31, 2026. VA funding fee schedule for 2026. General information only; confirm exemptions with the Bell County Appraisal District and loan terms with a VA-approved lender.