Long Island Property Taxes: Town-by-Town Comparison
Homeowners on Long Island consistently face some of the highest property taxes in the country. But the total bill can vary sharply depending on where a property is located – not just by town, but also by school district, village status, special districts, assessed value, and available exemptions.
This guide compares broad town-level property-tax patterns across Nassau and Suffolk counties. The figures below are best used as a practical regional snapshot for typical single-family homes, not as a quote for any specific address.
For homeowners, buyers, and anyone considering relocating to Long Island, understanding these differences is essential – especially before making an offer, filing a grievance, or comparing one neighborhood with another.
Average Annual Property Taxes by Town
(Broad estimates for typical single-family homes. Market values, assessments, exemptions, and school budgets change regularly, so actual bills may be higher or lower.)
Nassau County
| Town | Typical Annual Property Tax Range | Typical Home Value Range | Relative Burden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oyster Bay | ~$17,000-$20,000 | ~$700,000-$900,000 | Very High |
| North Hempstead | ~$17,000-$19,500 | ~$725,000-$950,000 | Very High |
| Hempstead | ~$15,500-$18,500 | ~$625,000-$800,000 | High |
Suffolk County
| Town | Typical Annual Property Tax Range | Typical Home Value Range | Relative Burden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington | ~$14,000-$16,500 | ~$650,000-$800,000 | High |
| Smithtown | ~$14,000-$16,000 | ~$625,000-$775,000 | High |
| Islip | ~$13,000-$15,000 | ~$550,000-$700,000 | Moderate-High |
| Brookhaven | ~$12,000-$14,000 | ~$475,000-$625,000 | Moderate |
| Babylon | ~$12,000-$14,000 | ~$500,000-$650,000 | Moderate |
| Riverhead | ~$10,500-$13,000 | ~$575,000-$800,000 | Moderate |
| Southold | ~$9,500-$12,500 | ~$850,000-$1.3M | Moderate (value-driven) |
| Southampton | ~$9,500-$12,500 | ~$1.2M+ | Moderate (value-driven) |
| East Hampton | ~$9,000-$12,000 | ~$1.5M+ | Moderate (value-driven) |
| Shelter Island | ~$8,500-$11,500 | ~$1.0M-$1.6M | Moderate (small-market variation) |
Note: Town-wide comparisons are useful, but they do not tell the whole story. Long Island’s tax bills are shaped by multiple overlapping jurisdictions, including counties, school districts, fire and other special districts, and in some places incorporated villages. Communities such as Garden City, the Great Neck area, Massapequa, and Levittown can show very different tax outcomes even within the same town. Smaller markets, especially Shelter Island, may also swing more from year to year.
Why Nassau Taxes Are Often Higher
Several factors tend to push Nassau County’s average tax burden above much of Suffolk:
- Compact, heavily developed communities with dense road, drainage, utility, and public-service infrastructure
- Many high-spending school districts in a relatively small geographic area
- Numerous overlapping local governments, villages, and special districts
- Older suburban systems that can be expensive to maintain and upgrade
- Less room to spread costs across undeveloped land than in more rural parts of Suffolk County
Why East End Taxes Can Appear Lower
Despite very high home prices, some East End towns can look less heavily taxed on a town-wide basis because:
- Extremely high property values spread local costs across a valuable tax base
- Large lots and luxury homes can make the tax burden look lower as a percentage of market value
- Lower-density development often creates a different service pattern than inner-suburban Nassau
- Town-wide averages may be pulled down or up by a relatively small number of very high-value properties
That does not mean East End taxes are low in absolute dollars. Owners of high-end homes in Southampton, East Hampton, Southold, Riverhead, and Shelter Island can still face very large annual bills.
The School District Factor
School taxes usually represent the largest share of a homeowner’s property-tax bill on Long Island – often well over half. Because district boundaries do not always align neatly with town, ZIP code, or neighborhood lines, two homes that seem nearly identical can carry very different tax obligations.
Why Two Homes on the Same Street Can Have Different Property Taxes
On Long Island, it is entirely possible for two similar houses on the same block to have noticeably different tax bills. That surprises many buyers, but it usually comes down to how local taxes are layered and calculated.
Common reasons include:
- School district boundaries: School taxes typically make up the biggest portion of the bill. District lines may cut through neighborhoods or even divide homes on the same street, creating different rates for nearby properties.
- Property assessments: Taxes are based on assessed value, not current asking price. Homes reassessed at different times – or after renovations, additions, or sales – may carry higher assessments than nearby houses.
- Exemptions and abatements: Individual households may qualify for tax relief that does not transfer automatically to the next owner. Common examples include STAR (School Tax Relief), Enhanced STAR for seniors, veterans exemptions, disability exemptions, and agricultural exemptions.
- Special taxing districts: Fire protection, library services, water service, sewer service, and sanitation can all add separate levies. These boundaries often do not match town or school district lines.
- Incorporated village taxes: Homes inside incorporated villages may pay an added layer of village tax for services such as policing, road maintenance, or local code enforcement, while nearby properties just outside village limits do not.
As a result, a neighbor receiving exemptions or sitting in a different school, village, or special district can pay thousands less – or more – each year.
What Homeowners Should Know
- Your town matters – but your district mix often matters more: School districts, village status, and special districts frequently drive the biggest differences.
- Assessed value is not the same as market value: A home’s tax assessment may use formulas and equalization methods that do not move in lockstep with current sale prices.
- Exemptions can change the real bill substantially: Ask whether STAR, veterans, senior, agricultural, or other exemptions are currently applied and whether they will carry over.
- Always review the actual tax bill before buying: Listing-sheet estimates can be outdated, and escrow projections are not a substitute for current records.
- Tax grievances are common: Thousands of Long Island homeowners file assessment challenges each year, especially when they believe the assessed value is too high.
How Long Island’s Municipal Structure Affects Property Taxes
Long Island’s property-tax system is unusually complex because homeowners are billed through multiple layers of local government rather than a single municipal authority. Towns are an important part of the framework, but they are only one piece of the final bill.
A homeowner’s total property-tax obligation can include:
- County taxes
- Town taxes
- School district taxes
- Special district taxes, such as fire protection, libraries, sanitation, sewer, and water service
- Village taxes, if the property lies within an incorporated village
School districts usually account for the largest share of most property-tax bills on Long Island. Because district boundaries do not always align neatly with town or neighborhood lines, two otherwise similar homes can face significantly different tax burdens.
Nassau and Suffolk also do not administer assessments in exactly the same way, which is one reason direct apples-to-apples comparisons should be viewed as directional rather than exact. Town-wide averages are useful for context, but they cannot replace a property-specific review.
Methodology
This comparison uses broad estimated ranges derived from regional tax patterns, public assessment information, school-tax impacts, and representative home values across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Because assessments, exemptions, school budgets, and market values change regularly, actual tax bills can vary significantly from the town averages shown here. Readers should check current county, town, village, school-district, and listing records before making financial or real-estate decisions.
