How San Antonio's 8.25% rate is built
At the Texas cap: 6.25% state + 1.125% city + 0.50% VIA transit + 0.375% Advanced Transportation District. Groceries are exempt.
What you pay in San Antonio — worked examples
| Purchase | Tax at 8.25% | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $25 | $2.06 | $27.06 |
| $100 | $8.25 | $108.25 |
| $500 | $41.25 | $541.25 |
| $1,000 | $82.50 | $1082.50 |
| $10,000 | $825.00 | $10825.00 |
San Antonio vs the Texas average
The average combined rate across Texas is about 8.2%, so San Antonio at 8.25% is above the state norm by roughly 0.05 percentage points. On a $30,000 car (where vehicle tax rules allow the general rate), that gap alone is about $15 — one reason big purchases are planned around exact addresses, not state averages.
San Antonio vs other Texas cities
Combined rates for the Texas cities we track, highest first. The spread inside one state is set entirely by local layers — the state base rate of 6.25% is the same in every row.
| City | Combined rate | Tax on $1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | 8.25% | $82.50 |
| San Antonio (this page) | 8.25% | $82.50 |
| Dallas | 8.25% | $82.50 |
| Austin | 8.25% | $82.50 |
| Fort Worth | 8.25% | $82.50 |
| Texas statewide average | 8.2% | $82.00 |
What this means in San Antonio
The rate bites hardest on large, planned purchases. At 8.25%, a $10,000 purchase carries $825.00 of tax — $5.00 more than the same purchase at the Texas average rate of 8.2%, and $164.00 more than at the all-state average of 6.61%. On everyday spending the difference is cents; on vehicles, appliances and furniture it decides where people choose to buy.
Day-to-day, the grocery exemption keeps the weekly food shop outside this rate in Texas — the 8.25% applies to general merchandise, electronics and prepared food. Budget the rate into non-food spending, not the food bill.
Calculate with your exact rate
District boundaries inside San Antonio can shift the rate street by street. For an exact figure — or to extract tax from a tax-inclusive total — use the full calculator with your precise local rate: