What a $300,000 house actually costs per month in Temple or Belton
September 22, 2026 · 6 min read
Most online payment calculators give you principal and interest and stop. That number is real, but it isn't your payment. In Bell County, taxes and insurance can add close to $800 a month on top of it, and those are the lines that surprise people at the closing table.
So here is the whole payment on a $300,000 house inside Temple city limits, line by line, with every assumption spelled out. Your numbers will differ. The shape of them won't.
The assumptions
- Purchase price: $300,000.
- Rate: 6.95% on a 30-year fixed, the Freddie Mac weekly average for September 17, 2026. Your own rate depends on credit, loan type and points.
- Down payment: 5% on a conventional loan, which leaves a $285,000 loan.
- Property taxes: the combined 2025 rates for a City of Temple / Temple ISD address, about 2.39% of value before exemptions. The 2026 rates are being set by the taxing units right now, so expect small changes.
- Insurance: an estimate. Premiums are priced to the house, the roof and your history, so get a real quote.
The payment, line by line
| Line | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Principal and interest ($285,000 at 6.95%) | $1,887 |
| Property taxes, Temple, with homestead exemption | about $464 |
| Homeowners insurance (estimate) | about $300 |
| Private mortgage insurance (estimate) | about $120 |
| Total | about $2,770 |
Principal and interest is about two-thirds of the payment. The other third is the part most buyers never priced in.
Why the tax line is bigger than you expect
Texas has no state income tax, and property taxes carry a lot of what an income tax would. Inside Temple, a house pays Temple ISD, the City of Temple, Bell County, Temple College, and a few smaller districts. Together that came to roughly $2.39 per $100 of value for 2025.
The homestead exemption is what brings it down. Since 2025 it takes $140,000 off your home's value for school taxes. On this house that is worth about $133 a month. Without it, the tax line runs closer to $597 a month.
The exemption only counts once you file it. It is free, it is filed with the Bell County Appraisal District, and I will walk you through it after closing. If you are 65 or older, there is another $60,000 off school taxes, and your school taxes are frozen at that level.
One thing to know: the $140,000 applies to school taxes only. The city and county bills are figured on close to the full value.
What changes in Belton
The same $300,000 house inside Belton city limits comes in lower on taxes, mostly because the City of Belton rate is lower than Temple's. On my math it lands around $367 a month with the homestead exemption, which puts the total payment near $2,675.
Every property's tax mix is a little different depending on which lines it sits inside. Before you write an offer, look up the actual address on the Bell County Appraisal District site, and ask me to run it with you.
The same house, four ways to pay for it
| Loan | Cash down | Monthly (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional, 20% down | $60,000 | about $2,350 |
| Conventional, 5% down | $15,000 | about $2,770 |
| FHA, 3.5% down | $10,500 | about $2,850 |
| VA, 0% down | $0 | about $2,790 |
Two things stand out to me. First, 20% down saves about $400 a month, and it costs $45,000 more in cash up front than 5% down. That trade is worth doing for some people and not for others. Second, the VA loan with nothing down lands close to a conventional loan with 5% down, because VA has no monthly mortgage insurance.
What a rate change is worth
On a $285,000 loan, a full point lower on the rate (5.95% instead of 6.95%) saves about $187 a month in principal and interest. That is real money. It is also less than the gap between a house with a tax bill you planned for and one you didn't.
If a seller is willing to contribute toward a rate buydown, that can move your payment more than the same dollars taken off the price. That is a conversation for your lender before we write, and you can find the two I work with on my partners page.
What I'd do before you shop
- Get pre-approved on a monthly payment, not just a price. Tell your lender the number you are comfortable writing a check for every month.
- Get an insurance quote on a real address in week one of your option period, not the week before closing.
- Budget taxes off the current rates and the full value, then subtract the homestead exemption. Don't use the seller's tax bill; their exemptions don't transfer to you.
- Leave room for utilities and upkeep. None of the numbers above include your electric bill, your water bill, or the air conditioner that will eventually need replacing.
If you want your own numbers run on a real house, send me the address and I'll build the payment with you, line by line. More on how I work with buyers is on my buyers page, and the Temple and Belton guides cover the neighborhoods.
Sources: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week of September 17, 2026. Temple ISD 2025-26 adopted tax rate. City of Belton FY 2026 adopted tax rate. Combined 2025 Temple-area rates by taxing unit as published by local sources; confirm any specific address with the Bell County Appraisal District. Texas homestead exemption per Proposition 13 (2025). Texas homeowners insurance averages from NerdWallet's 2026 rate analysis. FHA and VA premium schedules as published for 2026. This is general information, not a loan quote.