How Much Is Cable TV in Texas? 2026 Prices, Providers and Fees by City
Cable TV in Texas costs roughly $50 to $170 a month in the first year once local-station fees are added, before boxes and taxes. Spectrum's Stream TV Signature comes to $125.75 with its Broadcast TV Surcharge. Optimum's Extra TV is about $100.46 with fees, and DIRECTV's Choice satellite package $109.99 with its TV Access Fee. For comparison, doxo puts the 2026 US median cable or satellite bill at $125 a month.
What you pay in Texas depends first on where you live, because each city has its own cable company. Most of the big metros outside Houston are Spectrum country. Houston is mostly Xfinity, and East Texas and the Panhandle are Optimum, the former Suddenlink. This guide shows which company serves which city, what each charges in 2026, the fees most bills hide, and what the same money buys elsewhere.
Texas cable TV cost at a glance
- Spectrum
- TV Lite $40 to VIP $145 in year one, plus a $25.75 Broadcast TV Surcharge
- Optimum
- About $100 to $155 a month with its two fees, in year one
- Xfinity
- Houston TV packages priced by address; NOW TV $20 with Xfinity Internet
- DIRECTV satellite
- $94.99 to $174.99 a month on a 24-month agreement, plus fees
- US median
- $125 a month, $1,500 a year (doxo, 2026)
Who your cable company is, city by city
Texas cable is split among three big companies, and in most neighborhoods only one of them offers cable TV.
| Area | Main cable company | Our guide |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Spectrum | Leaving Spectrum in Austin |
| San Antonio | Spectrum | Spectrum in San Antonio |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | Spectrum in many areas | Spectrum in Dallas |
| Houston | Xfinity | Leaving Xfinity in Houston |
| El Paso | Spectrum | Spectrum in El Paso |
| Corpus Christi | Spectrum | Spectrum in Corpus Christi |
| Rio Grande Valley | Spectrum | Spectrum in the Valley |
| Waco, Killeen, Temple | Spectrum | Spectrum in Waco |
| Bryan-College Station | Optimum, formerly Suddenlink | Bryan-College Station TV |
| Tyler, Longview | Optimum, formerly Suddenlink | Optimum in Tyler and Longview |
| Amarillo, Lubbock | Optimum, formerly Suddenlink | Optimum in Lubbock |
| Marshall, Waskom | Xfinity | Longview TV |
From our city guides. Availability varies street by street, and other companies, such as Astound in some cities, sell TV too. Enter your address with each provider, or check the FCC National Broadband Map.
Spectrum prices
Spectrum sells six TV tiers, and the surcharge adds the same $25.75 to each.
| Plan | Year one | With $25.75 surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| TV Latino | $25 | $50.75 |
| TV Lite | $40 | $65.75 |
| Stream TV Latino Más | $75 | $100.75 |
| Stream TV Signature | $100 | $125.75 |
| Stream TV Pro | $110 | $135.75 |
| Stream TV VIP | $145 | $170.75 |
Plan prices from spectrum.com's general offer in October 2026. The surcharge figure is from The Senior List; independent estimates range from about $21 to $26 a month. TV Latino requires Spectrum Internet. After 12 months, regular rates apply.
Optimum prices
Optimum, the brand Suddenlink switched to on August 1, 2022, serves Tyler, Longview, Bryan-College Station, Amarillo and Lubbock.
| Plan | First-year offer | Regular rate card |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainment TV | $30 a month for 6 months, with Auto Pay | Not listed |
| Extra TV | $80 a month | $130 a month |
| Everything TV | $135 a month | $170 a month |
First-year offers from reviews.org, September 2026; regular prices from Optimum's online rate card as summarized in 2026 guides. The rate card also lists a $9.99 TV Broadcast Fee and a $10.47 Regional Sports Network Fee.
Xfinity in Houston
Xfinity doesn't publish one Houston TV price online; packages are quoted after an address check. What it does list is internet: 300 Mbps at $45 a month as a new-customer offer, $75 at everyday pricing. NOW TV costs $20 a month on top of Xfinity Internet.
NOW TV's channel list has no Houston ABC, CBS or NBC station and no ESPN, so it isn't a full cable replacement. Xfinity's own price-change page also notes that its Broadcast TV Fee is not government-mandated. Our Houston Xfinity guide walks through the options.
DIRECTV satellite, anywhere in Texas
DIRECTV's satellite packages cost $94.99 to $174.99 a month on a 24-month agreement. They reach rural homes that cable doesn't.
| Package | Monthly, 24-month agreement |
|---|---|
| Entertainment | $94.99 |
| Choice | $99.99 |
| Ultimate | $129.99 |
| Premier | $174.99 |
On top of the package, DIRECTV adds a $10 TV Access Fee and, on some packages, a regional sports fee of up to $23.99. Our national guide to how much cable costs a month breaks down a full bill.
The fees that raise every bill
The local-station fee is the biggest line item after the package itself, and it pays for channels that broadcast free.
| Provider | Local-station fee | Over a year |
|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | $25.75 Broadcast TV Surcharge | $309 |
| Optimum | $9.99 TV Broadcast Fee, plus $10.47 sports fee | $245.52 together |
| DIRECTV | $10 TV Access Fee, plus sports fee up to $23.99 | $120 to about $408 |
Boxes, DVR service and taxes come on top, and none of these fees is a tax. Our Texas antenna reception guide shows how to get the same local stations free.
A year of TV, provider by provider
Over a first year, a Texas cable TV plan with fees runs from $789 to more than $1,800 before boxes and taxes.
| Setup | Monthly | First 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Optimum Everything TV + fees | $155.46 | $1,865.52 |
| Spectrum Stream TV Signature + surcharge | $125.75 | $1,509 |
| DIRECTV Choice + TV Access Fee | $109.99 | $1,319.88 |
| Optimum Extra TV + fees | $100.46 | $1,205.52 |
| Spectrum TV Lite + surcharge | $65.75 | $789 |
DIRECTV's figure excludes the regional sports fee. For national context, doxo's 2026 cable and satellite report finds a US median of $125 a month, or $1,500 a year. It also finds that 74% of households pay for cable or satellite.
Paying less than cable
- An antenna, $25 to $60 once, for the local stations. Check whether your city's key stations are on VHF first.
- Live-TV streaming: YouTube TV costs $82.99 a month, $995.88 a year, with no box or broadcast fee.
- IPTVZ, $74.99 for 12 months on one device. It lists local stations from markets across Texas plus the national cable networks; our Texas sports on TV guide covers the team channels.
Most households that cut cable keep the internet from the same company. Our IPTV vs cable guide compares the formats in depth.
See what a year for $74.99 looks like
Find your local stations and the cable channels you'd miss on the IPTVZ free trial, wherever you are in Texas.
Want the free route instead? Our Texas local channels guide lists every market's stations.
Texas cable cost FAQ
- How much is cable TV a month in Texas?
- Roughly $50 to $170 in year one after local-station fees, before boxes and taxes; most mid-tier plans land around $100 to $135. Spectrum's Signature tier is $125.75 with its surcharge; Optimum's Extra TV is about $100.46 with fees.
- What is the cheapest cable TV in Texas?
- In Spectrum areas, TV Latino at $25 a month is the lowest plan, or $50.75 with the surcharge. TV Lite is next at $40, or $65.75.
- Who has cable in Houston?
- Mostly Xfinity. It prices TV by address; its Houston page lists NOW TV at $20 a month with Xfinity Internet.
- Who is the cable company in Lubbock and Amarillo?
- Optimum, which took the Suddenlink name's place in 2022. Spectrum isn't the cable company there.
- Why is my cable bill higher than the advertised price?
- Local-station and sports fees, box rentals and taxes. Spectrum's Broadcast TV Surcharge alone is about $25.75 a month.
- How much does cable cost after the first year?
- More. Promotional prices end after 12 months; Optimum's rate card, for example, lists Extra TV at $130 and Everything TV at $170.
- Is cable TV still a thing?
- Yes. doxo's 2026 report found 74% of US households still pay a cable or satellite bill. Many also pay for streaming, so a growing share of Texas homes keep only the internet and move TV to an antenna, streaming or IPTV.
The short version
- Your cable company depends on your city: Spectrum, Xfinity or Optimum.
- Year-one TV with fees: Spectrum $65.75 to $170.75, Optimum about $100 to $155 a month.
- Local-station fees cost $120 to $309 a year for channels that broadcast free.
- Rural homes without cable can turn to DIRECTV satellite, with a two-year contract.
- An antenna plus streaming or IPTVZ usually costs a fraction of cable.
Cable in Texas costs about what it does nationwide, around $125 a month, and more once promotions end. The free trial shows the alternative in a day. Our ranking of the cheapest live TV with local channels lists the streaming routes by price.
Sources
- broadbandmap.fcc.gov: FCC National Broadband Map broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- theseniorlist.com: The Senior List theseniorlist.com
- reviews.org: Reviews.org reviews.org
Related articles
Discover more
Explore our other guides & insights
From device setup guides to channel overviews: find everything you need to stream smarter.