Living in Liberty Hill, Texas

At a glance

Location

Williamson County, northwest of Austin along Highway 183

Price range

New construction from the $300,000s up to acre-lot homes in the $700,000-$800,000 range (as of Dec 2024)

Schools

Mostly Liberty Hill ISD; parts of Santa Rita Ranch are in Georgetown ISD

Tax rate

From below 1.9% (Northfork, Dec 2024) to 2.6% (Santa Rita Regency, Feb 2024), depending on the neighborhood

HOA

$100-$125 a quarter in Stonewall Ranch and Butler Farms (2024); $95/month base in Santa Rita Ranch (Sep 2026)

Groceries

No full-size grocery store in town as of Dec 2024; H-E-Bs about 15 minutes away in Leander and about 5-10 minutes from the east side

Commute

About 35-39 minutes to downtown Austin off-peak via the 183 toll road (2024)

What it's like to live in Liberty Hill

Liberty Hill used to be a tiny town. When I was a kid, going up this way felt like you were heading into Oklahoma. It really exploded during COVID, when people started moving farther out from Austin, and honestly the town had almost no infrastructure to handle it. It's been catching up ever since. Liberty Hill is unrecognizable compared to what it was five years ago.

The old Main Street downtown is being revitalized. As of my November 2024 tour there was a brand-new brewery with live music on weekends, small restaurants, a small grocery store and Forest Coffee House. It's putting Liberty Hill on the map as a place you'd actually want to live, not just a place you pass through.

The trade-off is distance. It's one of those towns that's 15 minutes to most everything, but everything is 15 minutes. As of December 2024 there was no full-size grocery store in Liberty Hill itself. The nearest H-E-B from the west side is a newly opened large one in Leander, about 15 minutes away, and there are plans to bring a grocery store out here. On the east side, near Stonewall Ranch and Santa Rita, a new H-E-B, restaurants and a spa opened about 5 to 10 minutes away.

Most people come to Liberty Hill for the quiet, a little more secluded, a little more rural lifestyle. If that's what you want, it's hard to beat for the money.

How Liberty Hill is laid out

I think about Liberty Hill in three rough areas:

• Downtown and the west side. Lariat sits just north of historic downtown. Butler Farms is on the western side of town, next to Liberty Hill High School. This is where you'll find some of the lowest new-construction prices in the Austin area.
• Acre-lot communities. Northfork and North Haven are 1-acre-lot communities right off the 183 toll road extension, about 35 minutes to downtown Austin.
• The east side, toward Georgetown. Stonewall Ranch is on the very east side, basically directly off 183. Santa Rita Ranch and its 55+ section, Santa Rita Regency, sit at the easternmost point of Liberty Hill, right on the Georgetown line off Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

The big road story is the 183 toll road extension, which will run straight into downtown Austin. When I filmed in December 2024 it was almost done, with toll tag readers going in. In February 2024 I mapped Stonewall Ranch at 39 minutes and 29 miles to downtown at 10 a.m. using the toll road. Highway 29 connects town to Liberty Hill High School and east to Georgetown.

On schools: most of Liberty Hill is in Liberty Hill ISD. Liberty Hill High School is new or recently renovated, and some neighborhoods have their own elementary, like Bill Burton Elementary in Stonewall Ranch. Santa Rita Ranch is split between Liberty Hill ISD and Georgetown ISD, so always check the zoning for the specific address.

Costs and taxes in Liberty Hill

Home prices are the main draw. In my November 2024 city guide, new construction in Butler Farms started in the high $200,000s, which is nearly unheard of around Austin. By my December 2024 tour, most homes there were $300,000 to $400,000. Stonewall Ranch was under $500,000 across the board in February 2024. Lariat ran from the high $300s to over $700,000 (November 2024), and the acre-lot communities were mostly $700,000 to $800,000.

Tax rates vary a lot by neighborhood, so watch this closely. These are the rates from my tours:

• Below 1.9%: Northfork (December 2024). In my November 2024 city guide I also mentioned finding homes around 1.6%.
• 2.3%: Stonewall Ranch (February 2024).
• 2.34%: Butler Farms (December 2024).
• 2.6%: Santa Rita Regency (February 2024).

HOA dues in the newer communities were low on my tours: $100 a quarter in Stonewall Ranch (February 2024) and $125 a quarter in Butler Farms (December 2024). Santa Rita Ranch's base HOA is $95 a month as of September 2026, and Santa Rita Regency was $249 a month in February 2024.

One more thing to know: some neighborhoods out here don't have natural gas. Butler Farms does. Stonewall Ranch doesn't. If you want a gas stove, ask before you fall in love with a house.

Neighborhoods I've toured

• Lariat is a 688-acre master-planned community just north of downtown with six builders, a stocked fishing pond and some view lots (December 2024).
• Butler Farms has Meritage and Saratoga homes in the $300,000-$400,000 range, a 2.34% tax rate and a $125 a quarter HOA (December 2024).
• Northfork has 1-acre lots with mostly single-story ranches, and a $750,000 spec home with a tax rate below 1.9% when I toured it (December 2024).
• North Haven is a GFO Home community of full acre lots with mature trees, mostly $700,000 to $800,000 (December 2024).
• Stonewall Ranch is a Taylor Morrison community on the east side with homes under $500,000 and Bill Burton Elementary on site (February 2024).
• Santa Rita Regency is the Toll Brothers 55+ section of Santa Rita Ranch, a smaller alternative to Sun City (February 2024).
• Santa Rita Ranch is the big amenity-rich master-planned community on the Liberty Hill and Georgetown line, where I also toured Westin Homes' Rowan III model with a detached ADU option (September 2022).

Who Liberty Hill fits

Liberty Hill fits people who want more house, more land or a lower price than they can get closer to Austin, and who don't mind driving 15 minutes for most errands. It's one of the only places around Austin where you can buy an acre lot under $1 million. For comparison, a similar acre-lot community in Leander was opening from the $900,000s when I filmed in late 2024.

It's not for everyone. The commute to Austin is real until the toll road is fully open, shopping is still catching up, and tax rates range from below 1.9% to 2.6% depending on where you land. If you like being close to everything, you'll probably feel it.

When I work for you, you get me. I show the homes, I negotiate and I'm the one who answers your call. You're never handed off to a teammate you didn't choose. If you're thinking about Liberty Hill, call or text me at (512) 983-7331 or email mason@masonsellsaustin.com.

What's in the video

• 0:00Intro: Liberty Hill's transformation
• 1:11Downtown Main Street and infrastructure
• 1:52Groceries (H-E-B in Leander) and 183 toll expansion
• 3:36Butler Farms (high $200s)
• 5:10Lariat (688 acres)
• 6:36Northfork acre lots
• 8:15North Haven (GFO Home) acre lots
• 10:15Acre-lot comparison and contact

Liberty Hill questions I get asked