Living in Denton, TX
Denton County
Denton is the genuine college town in this batch, and it's the northernmost place here -- about 40 miles from downtown Dallas, noticeably farther out than Grand Prairie, Southlake, Allen, or Grapevine. Two universities are headquartered in the city, University of North Texas (nearly 47,000 students as of the 2024-2025 academic year, one of the largest in Texas) and Texas Woman's University, and that student population underpins a live-music and arts scene -- Denton's Square and its jazz/DIY music heritage -- that reads distinctly different from the master-planned-suburb character of Southlake or Allen. Housing runs more affordable than the DFW-wide average, around $380K city-proper as of mid-2026, though Denton County overall is pricier due to affluent southern-county suburbs.
Explore Denton in depth
- Moving to Denton: Pros, Cons & What to Know
- Cost of Living in Denton
- Housing Market in Denton
- Buying a Home in Denton
- Renting in Denton
- Taxes in Denton
- Homeowners Insurance & Natural Hazard Costs in Denton
- Climate & Weather in Denton
- Jobs & Economy in Denton
- Schools in Denton
- Crime & Safety in Denton
- Healthcare in Denton
- Traffic & Transportation in Denton
- Best Areas to Live in Denton
- Pros and Cons of Living in Denton
- Retiring in Denton
- Who Should / Shouldn’t Move to Denton
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Learn moreHousing
Redfin cited $379,793 for the city, down 5.0% YoY. Denton County as a whole ran higher, $454K over the three months ending May 2026 (up 0.8% YoY) -- the county figure includes pricier southern Denton County suburbs like Flower Mound and parts of Frisco, so do not read the county number as describing Denton the city.
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Denton County level this session. Texas carries no income tax statewide. See the Texas hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Denton-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Genuine college-town identity -- UNT and Texas Woman's University both headquartered here -- with a distinct live-music and arts scene most DFW suburbs don't have; more affordable than the DFW-wide housing average; real, walkable historic downtown square.
Cons
Farthest north in this batch, meaning a longer commute into Dallas or Fort Worth proper than Grand Prairie, Southlake, Allen, or Grapevine; shares the same North Texas hail/tornado exposure as the rest of the metro; Denton County's overall median price is pulled up by pricier southern suburbs, a common source of confusion when researching the county versus the city.
Who this fits
Best for: Young professionals, grad students, and remote workers drawn to a genuine college-town culture and live-music scene who are willing to accept a longer commute into Dallas or Fort Worth.
Maybe not for you if: Buyers wanting the shortest possible commute into downtown Dallas or Fort Worth, or a quieter, non-college-town suburban feel, should look at Grand Prairie, Southlake, Allen, or Grapevine instead.
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