A Houston combined sales tax calculator that shows exactly what you pay at the register. Texas has no income tax, so sales tax does heavy lifting — and Houston charges the maximum 8.25% the state allows. This tool breaks that combined rate into its three parts, applies it to your purchase, and respects the Texas exemptions for groceries and medicine so you do not over-estimate tax on items that carry none.
How it works
Houston’s combined rate stacks three jurisdictions:
Texas state sales tax 6.25%
City of Houston 1.00%
Metropolitan Transit Authority 1.00%
-----------------------------------
Combined Houston rate 8.25%For taxable goods the math is simply:
Tax = price x 0.0825, and Total = price + tax.
Texas exempts several categories entirely. Unprepared groceries (staple food bought to take home), prescription drugs, and many labeled over-the-counter medicines carry 0% tax. When you select one of those item types, the calculator applies a zero rate and the total equals the price. Prepared food, restaurant meals, candy, and soft drinks remain fully taxable.
Example and notes
A $100 taxable purchase incurs $8.25 in tax for a total of $108.25 — split as $6.25 state, $1.00 city, and $1.00 transit. The same $100 spent on unprepared groceries incurs $0 tax. That distinction matters: a cart mixing taxable and exempt items is only taxed on the taxable portion.
Notes: this tool assumes the standard Houston (Harris County area) rate of 8.25%. Some addresses fall in special districts with the same maximum total, so the rate rarely differs within the city. Exemption rules can be nuanced — candy and soft drinks are taxable even though they are food. All calculations run locally in your browser.