Ch. 14 · Moving
Florida to North Texas: no income tax in either state, so what changes?
Most Florida-to-Texas guides lead with the income tax, which is a non-story. The real changes are insurance, the buying process, homestead differences, and a different kind of heat.
Florida sent about 52,200 people to Texas in the latest 2024 reporting period, per Census Bureau state-to-state migration data, the second-largest flow of any state into Texas. Florida and Texas both have no state income tax, which is why most moving guides between the two default to a headline that does not exist. The changes that actually matter sit in four places: insurance, the buying process, homestead protections, and the summer.
This chapter covers those four, with the numbers sourced and the settled law labeled as such. If you are deciding between the two states on tax grounds alone, the honest answer is that the income tax is a wash, and the property tax systems do the heavy lifting, so chapters 6 and 7 should be your first read.
Part of the Where you're coming from hub. California, Florida, New York, Colorado, Illinois, corporate relocation, and military & veterans each have their own chapter.
The income tax is a non-story
Florida has no state income tax, and Texas has no state income tax, so the headline most Florida-to-Texas guides use is empty. What does change is the property tax system underneath it. Texas appraises at market value as of January 1, assesses under-construction homes on their percentage of completion, and relies on the homestead exemption plus the 10 percent annual cap to soften growth (chapters 6 and 7). Read those chapters before comparing tax bills, because the bill on a finished new build can hit full value in year one, before the exemption and cap take effect.
Insurance: hurricane and flood vs. hail and wind
Florida insurance is built around hurricane wind and flood exposure, with flood insurance often mandated by the mortgage in coastal zones. North Texas insurance is built around hail, wind, and heat-driven roof wear. On a new build the roof, siding, windows, and HVAC are new, so the starting premium is cleaner, but the claim pattern is different: hail events drive roof and exterior claims that Florida homeowners rarely file. Ask the agent how hail claims and any separate wind and hail deductible work on the specific policy, and check the builder's warranty terms on roofing in writing.
The buying process Florida buyers should expect
Florida closings run through the title company with attorney involvement standard; Texas resales run on the TREC contract with an option period and earnest money held in escrow by the title company. New construction in Texas is the different animal: the builder's own attorney-drafted contract, typically no option period, earnest money staged at construction milestones, and inspection windows set by the builder (chapters 4 and 5). The concept Florida buyers know as a due-diligence window mostly disappears on new builds, so the contract review matters more, not less.
Homestead protections are different tools
Florida protects a primary home with its own homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes assessment cap. Texas protects with a school district exemption of $140,000 of appraised value as of the 2025 tax year and a 10 percent annual cap on appraised value under Tax Code Section 23.23. The two systems are different tools with the same goal, and the Texas ones do not follow you from Florida: after closing you apply for the Texas exemption with the county appraisal district, and the cap begins from the first full tax year after the exemption is effective. Chapter 7 covers the application and the April 30 filing deadline.
Humidity vs. dry heat, and the season that replaces hurricane season
Florida summers are humid and the heat is airborne; North Texas summers are drier, hotter, and longer, with a spring severe-weather season that replaces the hurricane calendar. The practical adjustments for a Floridian: soaker hoses on the clay foundation through dry spells (chapter 8), freeze protection for exposed plumbing in winter (a Florida planning gap), and the knowledge that coastal flood-zone paperwork largely falls away, replaced by hail, wind, and occasional tornado risk. Both states are hot; the difference is in the details you plan for.
Sources
Material factual claims in this chapter link to the sources below. Market figures are reported conditions, not guarantees; verify current offers in writing.
- U.S. Census Bureau: State-to-State Migration Flows (2024 ACS)
- ClickOrlando (WKMG), citing Census ACS 2024: Where Floridians moved
- TREC: One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale)
- Texas Real Estate Research Center: Option period basics
- Texas Comptroller: Property tax exemptions (residence homestead)
Written by
Theresa De La Rosa
Broker, Covenant Heritage Realty, LLC · TX #807294 · 18+ years in Texas and Florida real estate.
Next in the process
Ready to buy before you move?
Book the consult. Then pick the area.
This guide is the process, not the listings. When you are ready to apply it to your specific move, book a consultation with Theresa De La Rosa, Broker at Covenant Heritage Realty. For the which-DFW-area-fits question, the community and city guides live at indfwliving.com.