The Woodlands vs Spring: Which Fits Your Move?

The Woodlands and Spring sit about 13 miles apart by road on the I-45 corridor north of Houston and are easy to confuse, because ZIP codes 77380, 77381 and 77382, which cover The Woodlands, are listed under Spring. Over the last 12 months, sales listed in The Woodlands had a typical price near $588,000 against about $344,000 for sales listed in Spring, and the rest of the choice is the tax stack, the school districts, the drive to Downtown and the airport, and the covenants. Here is the side-by-side, with figures from closed MLS sales and published sources.

The Woodlands neighborhood guide Spring neighborhood guide

Homes and lots

The Woodlands was planned around preserved forest. Villages run from Grogan's Mill, which opened in 1974, to newer Creekside Park and Sterling Ridge, with townhomes and high-rise condos near the Waterway, and many older lots are wooded. The Woodlands Covenants and Standards apply to every property: exterior paint changes, fences, pools, patios and tree removal need written approval from the village's Residential Design Review Committee. Spring grew subdivision by subdivision, with 1970s and 1980s neighborhoods that have mature trees, new communities near the Grand Parkway from several builders, newer homes at Springwoods Village and acreage outside the subdivisions. Lots are set by section in both places, so ask for the lot width and depth. On new construction, the builder's on-site agent represents the builder and we represent buyers (see our new-construction buyer's guide).

12-month prices

Over the 12 months through September 2026, sales listed in The Woodlands numbered 1,330 at a typical price near $588,000 and an average near $794,000. Sales listed in Spring numbered 4,152 at a typical price near $344,000 and an average near $433,000, counting houses, townhomes and condos in both. The Woodlands' typical price ran about $244,000, or 71 percent, above Spring's, and Spring had about 3.1 times as many sales. Tomball ran near $379,000 and Kingwood near $350,000.

Property taxes

Published 2026 rates per $100 of taxable value, before exemptions and before hospital district, college district, emergency services district and MUD taxes:

The Township tax is its own layer, about $680 a year on a $400,000 home. The listed pieces still add to less in The Woodlands, but the comparison is not like for like: Harris County's $0.6715 includes Harris Health and flood control, while Montgomery County's hospital district rate is separate and not shown. Creekside Park pays Harris County and Tomball ISD rates instead. Many Woodlands villages and most Spring subdivisions sit in a MUD, most between $0.50 and $1.00 per $100 according to our tax guide, and each 10 cents is about $400 a year on a $400,000 home. Texas Water Code section 49.452 requires the seller to give you a written district notice before you sign a binding contract. Confirm figures with a tax professional or lender.

Commute

Spring is closer to Downtown and to the airport. Without traffic, Downtown is 24 miles and 32 minutes from Spring and 33 miles and 44 minutes from The Woodlands, and Bush Intercontinental Airport is 12 miles and 26 minutes from Spring and 27 miles and 42 minutes from The Woodlands. I-45, the Hardy Toll Road and the Grand Parkway are the main routes for both, and the two are about 13 miles and 22 minutes apart. Corporate offices in The Woodlands and the ExxonMobil campus at Springwoods Village in Spring keep many commutes local. Rush hour takes longer.

Schools

The Woodlands is mostly in Conroe ISD, Creekside Park is in Tomball ISD and some areas are in Magnolia ISD. A Spring address can be in Spring ISD, Klein ISD, Conroe ISD or Tomball ISD, and the line can change from one subdivision to the next. Zoning varies by address and can change, so confirm with the district before you buy.

Flood information

Risk varies street by street. Our guides note that some neighborhoods near Spring Creek and Panther Branch in The Woodlands, and near Spring Creek and Cypress Creek in Spring, flooded in major storms such as Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Look up each address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. For Spring and Creekside Park, in Harris County, MAAPnext shows the Flood Control District's draft maps, shared for information and not for insurance or regulatory decisions; for the Montgomery County villages, ask the county's floodplain administrator for the effective FEMA map. Read the seller's disclosure notice, which asks about past flooding and floodplain status, ask whether an elevation certificate exists and get a flood insurance quote before your option period ends. See our flood explainer.

Parks and amenities

The Woodlands Township maintains 151 parks, more than 220 miles of pathways and 4,445 acres of open space, according to our Woodlands guide. The town center combines the Waterway, Market Street, The Woodlands Mall, Hughes Landing on Lake Woodlands and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, open since 1990. Spring centers on Old Town Spring, a former railroad town with restored storefronts, plus the Spring Creek Greenway, Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve and Meyer Park.

Which fits your move

• Choose The Woodlands for planned villages with trails and a town center, a lower total on the rates listed here ($1.50 against $1.68 per $100) and districts rated B (Conroe ISD) and A (Tomball ISD), accepting a typical price about $244,000 higher, a Township tax, design review and longer drives to Downtown (44 minutes) and the airport (42 minutes).
• Choose Spring for the lower typical price (about $344,000), shorter drives to Downtown (32 minutes) and Bush Airport (26 minutes), new construction near the Grand Parkway and a choice of districts, accepting MUD taxes in most subdivisions and a closer look at the zoned district (Spring ISD C, Klein ISD B).
• If lot size decides it, compare sections, not cities: The Woodlands' older villages have many wooded lots, Spring has subdivisions and acreage, and covenants or HOA rules apply in both.
• Either way, get the MUD notice and the full tax rate for the exact address, check the flood maps and the seller's disclosure, and confirm the zoned schools with the district.

Questions buyers ask about The Woodlands and Spring

Sources

1. Compean Group analysis of closed MLS sales, October 2025 to September 2026, by listing city (The Woodlands, TX and Spring, TX); typical price is the median of the 12 monthly medians, all property types. Checked October 30, 2026.
2. OSRM routing with OpenStreetMap data, without traffic, from central points in The Woodlands (30.173, -95.505) and Spring (30.071, -95.401) to City Hall, the Galleria, the Texas Medical Center and Bush Intercontinental Airport, and between the two points. Checked October 30, 2026.
3. 2026 tax rates: Harris County Tax Office; ABC13 on Montgomery County (approved September 8, 2026); Community Impact on Conroe ISD (August 18, 2026); The Woodlands Township; Community Impact on Klein ISD (October 5, 2026); Spring ISD on Proposition A. Checked October 30, 2026.
4. Texas Education Agency, 2026 accountability ratings; district and campus names above link to their TEA reports. Checked October 30, 2026.
5. FEMA Flood Map Service Center; MAAPnext (draft maps, informational only). Checked October 30, 2026.
6. ZIP code place names: GeoNames postal data through Zippopotam.us. Checked October 30, 2026.
7. Our Woodlands and Spring neighborhood guides (October 2026) for villages, covenants, parks and districts, and What It Costs to Own a Home in Houston for the MUD range.
8. Texas Water Code section 49.452. Checked October 30, 2026.

Tour The Woodlands and Spring with us How buying a home works in Texas

Call or text (832) 777-3904, email evan@thecompeangroup.com or use the contact page. We speak English and Spanish, and our office is at 802 W. Patton St, Houston, TX 77009.

Updated October 30, 2026.