The choice between Collin County suburbs often comes down to budget and daily driving routes. Both cities sit north of Dallas, but their housing markets behave differently in pricing and supply.
Key Takeaway
Start your search in Allen if you want a single-family home and room to negotiate. Houses there recently sold in a median 46 days, and most closed below asking. Look at Frisco first if your daily drive runs on the Dallas North Tollway or SH 121, or if you want new construction. Compare current prices for the exact home type you want before making a final call.
Who This Guide Is For
You’re choosing between buying in Allen or Frisco and want to know which city gives your budget more room, which home type is the better value, and how each fits your daily drive.
Is Allen or Frisco the Better Place to Buy?
Allen currently gives single-family buyers room to negotiate. There, the house is a better value than the townhouse, which costs more per square foot and takes far longer to sell. The choice between the cities comes down to two things: where your budget buys negotiating room and space, and which highway you’ll drive every day.
Allen
Allen is an established, largely built-out Collin County suburb along the US-75 corridor, so your search there will mostly turn up resale homes.
Frisco
Frisco is a larger, faster-growing city to the west, oriented around the Dallas North Tollway and SH 121. Expect a heavy focus on new construction and master-planned developments, and many of the fastest daily routes require a TollTag.
Allen vs Frisco Home Prices
The split that matters right now is between home types, not just between cities.
Single-Family Homes
The median sale price for an Allen single-family home is roughly $505,299, a 1.8% drop year over year for the 90 days ending September 30, 2026. That small drift means sellers aren’t dumping homes, but you also aren’t facing bidding wars. You can base an offer on recent comparable sales instead of accepting the list price.
A citywide median hides wide price spreads between older and newer sections of the city. Compare price per square foot and home age on the specific streets you’re considering.
Townhouses
Allen townhouses cost more per square foot than houses and sit on the market for months. Over the same 90-day window, townhouses sold for a median of $224 per square foot compared to $212 for single-family homes. That figure comes from a small sample of 19 sales. A townhouse here is usually not the cheaper entry point on a per-square-foot basis.
These properties spent a median 137 days on the market yet closed near list price, which often means the original list price was cut along the way. The same slow market that helps you negotiate now can work against you when you sell. A thin townhouse market means longer waits and fewer buyers at resale.
Negotiating Room in Allen and Frisco
Allen’s current supply gives buyers an advantage. Single-family homes had 3.4 months of supply recently, and only 11.3% of those sales closed above asking.
On an Allen single-family home listed at $520,000, a 97.4% sale-to-list ratio points to a closing near $506,500. That gives you roughly $13,500 below asking as a starting reference for your offer. It’s a data point, not a guarantee. Townhouses have even more supply at 8.5 months, so those sellers may be willing to move further.
Ask for a home’s price history and any reductions before you make an offer, especially for townhouses that have been sitting for months. In Frisco, have your agent pull street-level comps to gauge how flexible sellers are.
Commute and Highway Access
The daily drive often settles the city choice before home prices do. Neither Allen nor Frisco is a member city of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), so you’ll be relying on your car.
Commuting from Allen
US-75 runs north and south straight through Allen toward Plano, Richardson and Dallas without any tolls. SH 121 connects the western edge of the city toward Frisco and Plano’s Legacy business area.
Because US-75 is the one main north-south artery, rush-hour backups have no toll-road bypass. Drive your commute at peak time from the exact address before you make an offer.
Commuting from Frisco
The Dallas North Tollway and SH 121 are the fast routes connecting Frisco to the Legacy area, Dallas and DFW International Airport. As of July 2025, the NTTA TollTag rate on these roads is $0.22 per mile.
A 30-mile daily round trip on the tollway over roughly 250 workdays comes to around $1,650 a year in tolls. The free alternatives are much slower, so put that toll bill in your monthly budget alongside the mortgage.
New Construction vs Established Neighborhoods
Whether you want a move-in-ready new build or a mature resale neighborhood will likely point you to one city before price does. Each option carries costs beyond the price tag.
Established Neighborhoods in Allen
A resale home in Allen’s finished neighborhoods means no construction traffic and no waiting on a builder. Communities like Twin Creeks offer mature landscaping and established amenities. New-construction choices are thinner here than in neighboring towns.
Older homes can mean near-term spending on a roof, HVAC system or foundation repair. Ask for the ages of major systems, order a full inspection, and fold those potential costs into your offer.
New Construction in Frisco
Frisco has several major mixed-use and residential developments under construction. The 2,500-acre Fields development includes its Preserve residential section. The first phase of Fields West is scheduled to finish between June 2026 and April 2027. Nearby, the Downtown Rail District Redevelopment is expected to finish construction in mid-2026, and the Universal Kids Resort, which is not residential, is slated to open around the same time.
Builder incentives can offset part of the purchase price, but lot premiums and upgrades add to your total quickly. Some newer Texas communities also carry a Municipal Utility District or Public Improvement District assessment on top of regular property taxes. Ask the builder or seller whether the property sits in one and what the yearly charge is before you sign anything.
Property Taxes, Schools, and Safety
Your property tax bill in Texas is the sum of city, county and school district rates, plus any special district assessments. For the 2025-26 fiscal year, the City of Allen adopted a rate of $0.4154 per $100 of assessed value, and the City of Frisco adopted a rate of $0.425517.
Frisco addresses can fall in either Collin County, which has a $0.149343 rate, or Denton County, which has a $0.185938 rate. Confirm which appraisal district bills the property.
School zoning is simple in Allen, which is served by Allen ISD and its one main high school. Frisco city limits overlap with four school districts, so confirm the district for any Frisco address with the district’s own boundary lookup tool. On safety, the FBI recorded 121 violent crimes and 999 property crimes in Allen for 2024, while Frisco’s 2024 police figures are not yet certified, so the two cities’ numbers don’t line up neatly.
How to Choose Between Allen and Frisco
Start with your commute: a US-75 drive points toward Allen, while a daily trip on the Dallas North Tollway or SH 121 points toward Frisco. Next, settle on the home type, using the townhouse trade-off in the price section. Then decide between new construction and an established neighborhood. Finally, check how much room you need below asking against Allen’s recent sales. The pros and cons of living in Allen can further inform your final choice.
If you want a toll-free commute along US-75 or a single-family home with room to negotiate below asking, start with Allen. If you want new construction you can move straight into, or you plan to drive the Dallas North Tollway daily, look at Frisco. Bale Real Estate Group can pull same-week sales for specific streets in both cities to help you compare your options.
At a Glance
- Allen, all homes (90 days ending 2026-09-30): median sale price $492,515, down 1.5% year over year; 290 homes sold; 363 listings; 3.8 months of supply.
- Allen, all homes (90 days ending 2026-09-30): median 49 days on market; same sale-to-list ratio as single-family homes; 10.8% sold above list; $213 median price per square foot.
- Allen, single-family (90 days ending 2026-09-30): median sale price $505,299, down 1.8% year over year; 270 homes sold; 297 listings.
- Allen, single-family (90 days ending 2026-09-30): median 46 days on market; 97.4% sale-to-list; 11.3% sold above list; 3.4 months of supply; $212 per square foot.
- Allen, townhouses (90 days ending 2026-09-30, based on only 19 sales, so treat with caution): median sale price $435,005, down 4.6% year over year; 54 listings.
- Allen, townhouses (same window, 19 sales): median 137 days on market; 98% sale-to-list; 5.3% sold above list; 8.5 months of supply; $224 per square foot.
Allen vs Frisco FAQs
Is Allen, TX Considered Part of Dallas?
No. Allen is its own city in Collin County within the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, so you pay Collin County and Allen city property taxes rather than Dallas taxes.
How Far Is Allen from Frisco?
About 12 miles, or roughly 20 to 22 minutes by car.
Are People Leaving Frisco, TX?
No, the population is growing. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Frisco reached 235,208 residents by July 2024, up from the April 2020 census count of 200,509.
Is Allen, TX Expensive?
It depends on your budget. The median sale price for all homes in Allen was roughly $492,515 over the 90 days ending September 30, 2026, down 1.5% year over year.
Which Is Closer to DFW Airport, Allen or Frisco?
Frisco is generally closer to DFW International Airport. The fastest routes from Frisco use the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH 121), which charges tolls.
Which School District Serves a Frisco Address?
Most of Frisco is in Frisco ISD, but some neighborhoods fall in Lewisville ISD, Little Elm ISD or Prosper ISD.
Do Homes in Allen and Frisco Have HOA Fees?
Yes, many master-planned and newer neighborhoods in both cities have homeowners associations. Ask the HOA for current dues and what they cover before making an offer.
