The Best and Cheapest Renters Insurance in Texas

The average cost of renters insurance in Texas is $187 per year. For comparison, the national average is $151. However, shopping around is often the best way to find more affordable rates. To help you narrow the options, NerdWallet compared companies across the state to find the cheapest renters insurance in Texas, plus the best options for quality coverage.

Note: Some insurance companies included in this article may have made changes in their underwriting practices and no longer issue new policies in your state.

NerdWallet analyzed rates across the state from a variety of companies to find the ones offering the cheapest Texas renters insurance. Below are the companies with the most affordable rates.

» MORE: The cheapest renters insurance

If you’re looking for quality coverage from a top-rated insurer, consider buying a policy from one of our Best Renters Insurance Companies.

More about the best renters insurance companies in Texas

See more details about each company to help you decide which one is best for you.

Amica is recognized for strong customer service. It was the highest-rated company for consumer satisfaction in a recent J.D. Power study and draws a very low rate of complaints. If you’re hoping to buy a home someday, consider the Amica Essentials policy. It lets you earn up to $500 in credit toward a future homeowners policy from Amica.

For more information, see our Amica renters insurance review.

The country’s largest home insurer, State Farm has many coverage options to choose from. For example, you can add identity restoration coverage to your renters policy for $25 a year. This coverage helps you recover after an identity theft incident and will reimburse expenses up to $50,000. Another useful feature you can add to a State Farm’s renters policy is inflation coverage. It raises your coverage limits to keep up with rising prices.

To learn more, read our State Farm renters insurance review.

Travelers offers a user-friendly website where you can file claims, pay bills and chat with a company representative. You may want to upgrade your policy with replacement cost coverage. Without it, Travelers will pay less after a claim for older items that have lost value over time. You can also add extra insurance for valuable items such as an engagement ring or piece of art.

Read our Travelers renters insurance review for more details.

Unlike most policies from other companies, USAA renters insurance covers flood damage. It automatically covers your stuff on a replacement cost basis, too. That means your claim payouts won’t go down just because some of your belongings have lost value. But USAA sells renters insurance only to veterans, active military, some federal workers and their families.

Check out our USAA renters insurance review to learn more.

The average cost of renters insurance in Texas is $187 a year, or about $16 a month. That’s about 24% more than the national average of $151 a year.

In most U.S. states, including Texas, many insurers use your credit-based insurance score to help set rates. Your insurance score is similar but not identical to your traditional credit score.

In Texas, those with poor credit pay an average of $330 per year for renters insurance, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. That’s about 76% more than those with good credit.

» MORE: How much is renters insurance?

How much you pay for Texas renters insurance will depend in part on where you live. For example, the average cost of renters insurance in Houston is $241 per year, while renters in Dallas pay $211 per year, on average.

Below are average rates for renters insurance in 25 of the largest cities in Texas.

» MORE: What does renters insurance cover?

Natural disasters, such as tornadoes and tropical storms, happen often in Texas. If one strikes your home, your landlord’s insurance will cover only the building structure, not any damage to your stuff. That’s why it’s important to know what’s covered (or not) when shopping for renters insurance in Texas.

Floods

Flooding is the state’s most common disaster, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services[1]. However, standard renters policies won’t cover it. If you live in a ground-floor apartment in a low-lying area you may want to buy separate flood insurance. Learn more about flood insurance for renters.

Hurricanes, tropical storms and tornadoes

Renting a place on the Gulf Coast? Make sure your renters insurance covers damage from hurricane and tropical storm winds. This coverage is sometimes excluded if you live in a high-risk area near the coast. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association sells offers wind and hail policies to those who can’t find coverage elsewhere.

Even if you’re not in an area prone to hurricanes, you may still want to check your wind coverage. More than 100 tornadoes strike the state each year, on average.

Wildfires

Wildfires are another common disaster in Texas. Make sure you have enough personal property coverage to replace all your belongings if the worst happens. The calculator below can help you estimate how much your stuff is worth.

You may pay more or less than the average annual rates above, depending on various factors.

Your location

If you live on the Gulf Coast where hurricanes are common, or in a neighborhood with a high crime rate, you may pay more for a renters policy.

Your credit

As noted above, many insurance companies look at your credit history to evaluate how likely you might be to file a claim. People with better credit tend to get cheaper renters insurance rates.

Your claims history

If you’ve filed any renters insurance claims in the past few years, your insurer may charge more for your policy. NerdWallet analyzed Texas renters insurance rates for tenants who’d previously filed a theft claim. We found that they were 11% higher than rates for someone without a recent claim, on average.

Your coverage limits

If you have more stuff — or more valuable stuff — to cover, you’ll typically pay more for renters insurance.

Your deductible

Raising your deductible is an easy way to lower your premium, as long as you can access enough cash to pay it if necessary. (A deductible is the amount subtracted from your claim payout.)

Other policies

If you buy your renters and auto insurance from the same company, you can often get a bundling discount.

Your home’s features

Home security systems, fire alarms and 24-hour building security guards could earn you discounts.

Your dog

Dog bites are a common cause of renters liability insurance claims. Insurers consider certain breeds a higher risk, such as pit bulls and Doberman pinschers. If you own one of these breeds, your premium might be higher (if the animal is covered at all).

» MORE: Personal liability renters insurance: What you need to know

If you have questions, concerns or complaints about your renters insurance, the Texas Department of Insurance may be able to help. You can call its consumer helpline at 800-252-3439 for service in both English and Spanish.

When you buy or renew a Texas renters policy, your insurer must give you a copy of the department’s Consumer Bill of Rights for renters insurance. This document is worth a read. It explains how Texas insurance companies can use your credit information and how fast they have to handle claims. It also lists circumstances under which your policy can and can’t be canceled.