Texas Elections: What Candidates Propose to Lower Cost of Living and How Much You Could Save

The cost of living in Texas has become a central issue in the elections on Tuesday, November 3. Candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, and U.S. Senate are promising measures ranging from a $1,500 check per household to eliminating the school property tax, according to a guide published on Thursday, October 8, by The Texas Tribune.

• In-person early voting runs from Monday, October 19, to Friday, October 30, according to VoteTexas.gov.
• The proposals touch on property taxes, housing, electricity, gasoline, and food.
• Almost all of them require approval from the Legislature or Congress; none are automatic.

Why it matters: property taxes, rent, and utility bills are some of the biggest expenses for a household in Texas. What these officials decide could change how much you pay each month.

Property Taxes

• Greg Abbott (Republican, governor): wants voters to decide, through a constitutional amendment, to eliminate the school property tax for homeowners. «What you pay to the school district in property taxes should be zero dollars,» he said at an event in Pasadena, according to KPRC Click2Houston. Abbott estimates it would cost around $10 billion; experts cited by the channel warn that the money would have to come from state funds or other taxes. He also proposes stricter limits on appraisal increases.
• Gina Hinojosa (Democrat, governor): proposes ending state subsidies to corporations and using that money to lower property taxes, with the goal of eventually eliminating the residential tax without cutting school funding. She has not detailed how, according to the Tribune.
• Dan Patrick (Republican, lieutenant governor): wants to raise the homestead exemption for school taxes from $140,000 to $180,000 and lower the age for the additional senior exemption from 65 to 55.
• Vikki Goodwin (Democrat, lieutenant governor): more state funds for schools to lower local taxes, automatic homestead exemption when buying a house, and limits on the increase in rental property values in exchange for lower rents.

Housing and Rent

• Abbott: facilitate backyard cottages (ADUs), speed up permits, and a $400 million program to reinforce roofs and lower home insurance costs.
• Hinojosa: prevent investment funds from buying single-family homes and send a one-time payment of $1,500 to each household, which would come from the state’s rainy day fund, according to The Texas Tribune.
• Ken Paxton (Republican, Senate): federal tax deduction of $50,000 for first-time homebuyers and prohibit corporations from buying single-family homes.
• James Talarico (Democrat, Senate): expand the federal low-income housing tax credit, help with down payments, and prohibit Wall Street from buying homes.

According to the Tribune, no candidate proposes direct help for renters or measures to prevent evictions.

Utilities and Gasoline

• Data centers: Abbott, Hinojosa, Goodwin, Paxton, and Talarico agree that they should pay for their own electricity and water infrastructure. Patrick goes further: he calls for a pause in the construction of new data centers.
• Gasoline: Hinojosa proposes pausing the state tax (20 cents per gallon) and the federal tax (18.4 cents). Talarico proposes pausing the federal tax, and Paxton, eliminating it forever. Abbott says he cannot suspend the state tax without the Legislature.
• Food: Paxton, Talarico, and Hinojosa target large food companies. Abbott and Patrick have not presented a specific plan, according to the Tribune.

What It Means for Your Wallet

• If you own a home: every additional $40,000 in homestead exemption would save you, for example, around $400 per year if your district charges $1 per every $100 of value (illustrative calculation; the rate varies by district).
• If you rent: property tax cuts do not directly benefit you; Texas does not provide tax relief to renters, according to the Tribune.
• At the pump: pausing both gasoline taxes would be equivalent to around $5.75 less for 15 gallons (illustrative calculation), although experts cited by the Tribune warn that the savings are usually minimal and may increase demand, and with it, prices.
• $1,500 check: it would only exist if Hinojosa wins and the Legislature approves it.

What You Can Do

• Confirm that you are registered on VoteTexas.gov; the deadline to register was Monday, October 5.
• If you will vote by mail and qualify, your application must arrive by Friday, October 23, at the latest.
• Check with your appraisal district that you have the homestead exemption active: the current one already discounts $140,000 of the value for school taxes.

MundoNow does not endorse any candidate. The proposals are attributed to each campaign and the cited media.

Sources: The Texas Tribune; The Texas Tribune (checks of $1,500); KPRC Click2Houston; CBS Texas; Texas Comptroller; VoteTexas.gov. Data consulted on October 8, 2026.