Table of Contents
- How much does renters insurance cost in Texas?
- Average cost of renters insurance in Texas
- Cheapest renters insurance in Texas: Nationwide
- Best renters insurance in Texas: Farmers
- Other Texas renters insurance providers to consider
- Learn more about renters insurance providers in Texas
- Other questions about renters insurance in Texas
- How we gathered our data on Texas renters insurance prices
How much does renters insurance cost in Texas?
Renters insurance in Texas is relatively inexpensive. On average, the cost of renters insurance in Texas is $22.75 per month. That’s slightly higher than the national average of $20 per month, but still very affordable.
Expect the price of renters insurance to increase if you live in a major metro like Houston ($29.98) or a city on the coast like Corpus Christi ($32.81). If you’re shopping around on a budget, then your cheapest option is probably Nationwide, who offers an average monthly price of $15.91.
The prevalence of severe weather (like tornadoes and hurricanes) is a major reason for higher-than-average Texas renters insurance costs. While renters insurance does protect against certain natural disasters, it doesn’t cover floods, so be aware that you may need a separate flood insurance policy if you live in a high-risk flood zone.
Take a look at our full list of the average price of renters insurance in Texas by city and by insurer.
Average cost of renters insurance in Texas
You can compare the list of quotes below to see the average cost of renters insurance in Texas. We’ve collected monthly and yearly price averages across the top major cities in the state, as well as the average insurance provider rates for the state.
City | Price (monthly) | Price (yearly) |
---|---|---|
Houston | $28.89 | $346.68 |
San Antonio | $23.16 | $277.92 |
Dallas | $24.51 | $294.12 |
Austin | $19.49 | $233.88 |
Fort Worth | $22.73 | $272.76 |
In the next table, we’ve gathered a list of the average monthly costs (by provider) for renters insurance in Texas. You’ll also notice how their rates differ from the state average.
Insurer | Monthly cost | Difference from average |
---|---|---|
Allstate | $21.93 | - $0.82 |
GEICO | $23.73 | + $0.98 |
Progressive | $30.88 | + $8.13 |
State Farm | $25.97 | + $3.22 |
Liberty Mutual | $23.63 | + $0.88 |
Cheapest renters insurance in Texas: Nationwide
We found that in nearly every city where we received a quote, the cheapest renters insurance provider in Texas was Nationwide. They offer policies almost $7 cheaper per month than the overall state average.
Pros of a Nationwide renters insurance policy in Texas
- Multi-policy and claims-free discounts: In addition to their affordable Texas rates, Nationwide offers discounts on renters insurance policies when you bundle them with another policy, like car insurance. You may also qualify for a lower rate if you’ve never filed a claim before.
- Free consultations: As part of Nationwide’s “On Your Side” insurance review, you can meet with a licensed agent annually to receive a personalized evaluation. They’ll discuss your coverage options and any discounts you may be eligible for to help make your renters insurance costs even cheaper.
Cons of a Nationwide renters insurance policy in Texas
- No personal property damage for flooding (or earthquakes): One major drawback of a Nationwide renters insurance policy is the lack of property damage coverage for flooding. While this is certainly a disadvantage (especially if you live near the Gulf Coast or a high-risk flood zone), it’s also standard practice among insurance providers and not specific to Nationwide — renters insurance rarely covers floods. It’s also important to note that renters insurance doesn’t cover earthquakes either, but those are less common in Texas than severe flooding.
Nationwide does offer competitive flood insurance rates if you need a dedicated flood insurance policy. If not, then a standard renters insurance policy from Nationwide is your cheapest option in Texas.
Best renters insurance in Texas: Farmers
Farmer’s renters insurance rates were among the cheapest we came across in our analysis. They also offer some of the best coverage and several worthwhile insurance riders for Texas residents.
Pros of a Farmers renters insurance policy in Texas
- Extended coverage with insurance riders: Generally, renters insurance has relatively low coverage limits on certain items like jewelry or other valuable property (including gun collections). Those limits can vary but are often set at around $500–$1,000 for specially classed property, so if you have a family heirloom worth $3000, you’ll only receive $500 for it if it’s stolen or damaged by a covered loss. Farmers makes it easy for policyholders to extend their coverage limits by purchasing personal articles floaters. After applying for this extended coverage, you may be reimbursed for the full value of your lost items.
Cons of a Farmers renters insurance policy in Texas
- Poor discount options: While a Farmers renters insurance policy is cheaper than the statewide average monthly cost, attempting to pinch a few extra pennies is harder with this insurer than most others. Farmers Insurance simply doesn’t offer much in the way of extra savings for their customers. You can ask your landlord to install a fire or security alarm system to help lower your premiums, or remain a non-smoker for at least two years in a row to receive a small discount. Otherwise, your only other choice is to bundle your renters insurance with another policy like automobile or life insurance.
Other Texas renters insurance providers to consider
There are countless renters insurance providers operating in Texas — from huge corporate entities to local mom-and-pop insurers. Below are a few other providers you should consider depending on your situation.
Best for “Tornado Alley” residents: Farmers
When purchasing renters insurance, the most important thing to consider if you live in the infamous “Tornado Alley” region of Texas is whether your policy provider has a tendency to deny or question policyholders who try to file large renters insurance claims. Almost all providers typically cover wind damage and natural disasters, but tornadoes can easily wipe out everything in their path, leading to hefty payouts for insurance companies.
What makes Farmers’ renter insurance stand out among the rest is that they have a great reputation for not abusing their customers on every claim.
Best for gun owners: Progressive
Progressive’s renters insurance policies have decent riders, and this extends to gun collections, too. You can add a scheduled property rider to your policy to increase your coverage limit for firearms (which in most standard policies will be much lower than your overall personal property coverage limit — i.e. you might have $30,000 in personal property coverage but only $2,500 in coverage for guns).
Adding a scheduled property rider to your Progressive renters insurance policy is very affordable (the yearly price will be around 2% of your gun’s value).
Note that most personal property liability insurance won’t cover loss or damage to firearms unless you notify your insurer that you have them before buying your policy. If you have an extensive gun collection and the first your insurer hears about it is when you file a claim, it absolutely won’t be covered, so having a policy with comprehensive riders is a must for Texas gun owners.
Best for military servicemembers: USAA
USAA is consistently the best insurance choice for active service members, veterans, and their families. It’s only available to members of the U.S. military, so civilians aren’t eligible, but if you qualify, you’ll receive one of the finest renters insurance policies in the nation.
One key feature to mention for Texas residents is that a standard USAA renters insurance policy comes with flood coverage — very few (if any) competitors offer that level of protection.
Learn more about renters insurance providers in Texas
Still can’t decide which provider to go with? Take a look at our renters insurance reviews to find out who really offers the best and cheapest renters insurance in TX.
Read our reviews of:
Other questions about renters insurance in Texas
Below are a few frequently asked questions about renters insurance in the Lone Star state.
Is renters insurance required in Texas?
No, you aren’t legally required to purchase renters insurance in Texas. However, your landlord may require that you get a renters insurance policy as a condition of the lease agreement.
Do I need a credit check to get renters insurance in Texas?
Yes, you most likely do need to submit a credit check to get renters insurance in Texas. Only a handful of states allow you to buy renters insurance with no credit check — and Texas isn’t one of them.
Are guns covered under renters insurance?
Yes, guns are usually covered under most renters insurance policies offering personal property protection.
However, insurers may put certain reimbursement limits on firearms because they’re items with a high risk of theft. This means that your insurance provider may end up covering significantly less than the actual cash value of your gun for a covered loss. As mentioned above, you can buy a scheduled property rider to fully cover your gun collection.
How we gathered our data on Texas renters insurance prices
We conducted a survey and obtained renters insurance quotes for Texas’s 15 largest cities. You can view our complete data set at the bottom of this article.
We gathered the quotes for an individual with the following profile:
- Insured party: 30-year old male, employed, unmarried, with no pets
- Personal property coverage: $30,000
- Personal liability coverage: $100,000
- Guest medical coverage: $1,000
- Loss-of-use coverage: Insurer’s default (usually based off personal property coverage)
- Deductible: $500
Renters insurance prices depend on several factors, including your credit score, demographics, and home safety features. They can also vary on a week-to-week or even day-to-day basis.
The annual price of renters insurance can also change if your insurer tacks an initial “down payment” onto your first premium. By paying for an entire year of coverage upfront (instead of month-to-month), you can often get renters insurance with no down payment.
The average price of renters insurance in Texas by city and insurer
Below, you can check out all the data on Texas’s renters insurance prices that we collected. Be sure to scroll to the right to see the entire table.
Allstate | GEICO | Progressive | State Farm | Liberty Mutual | Nationwide | Lemonade | Midvale | Farmers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston | $33.00 | $29.33 | $33.83 | $35.15 | $23.25 | N/A | $24.34 | $34.95 | $26.00 |
San Antonio | $18.00 | $26.83 | $34.35 | $22.70 | N/A | $15.66 | $18.34 | $26.84 | $22.58 |
Dallas | $25.00 | $22.50 | $37.68 | $26.88 | $28.50 | $16.72 | $19.25 | $33.44 | $10.58 |
Austin | $18.00 | $21.08 | $27.54 | $19.87 | $17.17 | $18.14 | $13.84 | $21.99 | $17.83 |
Fort Worth | $24.00 | $22.50 | $28.87 | $28.88 | $23.08 | $15.91 | $18.09 | $22.22 | $21.00 |
“N/A” signifies that we weren’t able to obtain pricing data for that city and insurer. Call a local insurance agent to get a quote.
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