Flower Mound and Coppell are the two cities people weigh when they want to live right next to DFW Airport. They cost almost exactly the same, and their overall scores are a point apart. Underneath, they make different trade-offs: Flower Mound offers more space and lower crime; Coppell offers top-rated schools and a shorter drive.
Here’s how they compare across the eight categories in the Realust Score. The table updates live as our data does.
At a glance
Live scores · top score in each row in boldCompare every data point →
Bigger homes and lots, the lowest crime of any city we compared this month, and a lower Lewisville ISD rating.
The highest-rated school district in this comparison, a shorter commute and a faster-moving market.
Money: almost identical
Zillow puts the typical Coppell home at $611,818 and Flower Mound at $604,723, a difference of about $7,000. Estimated principal and interest at 20% down and 7.40% are $3,389 and $3,350 a month. What you get differs, though: Flower Mound homes average 3,614 square feet on large lots, against 2,790 in Coppell.
City and school tax rates favor Coppell. Coppell proposed a city rate of $0.441166 per $100 for FY2026-27, and Coppell ISD’s is $0.9857, about $1.43 combined. Flower Mound’s town rate is $0.387277 and Lewisville ISD’s $1.1178, about $1.51. County taxes differ too (Coppell is mostly in Dallas County, Flower Mound in Denton County), so compare full bills for specific homes. Flower Mound offers a 20% homestead exemption and a $150,000 over-65 exemption on the town portion. HOAs are common in both (57% and 59% of homes), but Flower Mound’s average much more: $248 a month versus $100.
- Do you want more house for the money, or a lower school tax rate and smaller HOA?
- Have you compared full tax bills, including county taxes, for the homes you like?
Schools
This is Coppell’s biggest advantage. Coppell ISD is rated 9.4 out of 10, ahead of 99% of Texas districts, with a 99.4% graduation rate. Lewisville ISD, which serves most of Flower Mound, is rated 6.3, ahead of 68%, with a 96.8% graduation rate. Schools scores: Coppell 91, Flower Mound 82. Lewisville ISD is a large district, so individual campuses vary widely; the Flower Mound campuses are worth checking one by one.
Coppell ISD also serves neighborhoods outside the city, including parts of Dallas’s Cypress Waters, and is weighing a tax rate election after an efficiency audit. Check the campuses for any address you’re considering.
Safety
Flower Mound reported 0.43 violent and 5.89 property crimes per 1,000 residents in 2025, the lowest of the eight cities we compared this month. Coppell reported 0.90 and 8.80. Both are low. Safety scores: Flower Mound 86, Coppell 83.
Getting around
Coppell is closer to everything: 21.2 miles from downtown Dallas versus 27.6, and 4.1 miles from DFW Airport versus 9.2. Average commutes are 24 minutes in Coppell and 26 in Flower Mound. Neither is very walkable (Walk Scores of 23 and 5), and neither is in DART; Flower Mound has no DCTA bus or rail service either. Coppell wins Commute, 67 to 61.
- How often will you fly, and how much is a 10-minute airport drive worth to you?
- Do you need to reach Dallas regularly, or mostly the airport and Las Colinas?
Growth and the market
Neither is growing much: about 2% in Flower Mound and 1% in Coppell over five years, and both score 60 on Growth. Flower Mound’s growth is shaped by its SMARTGrowth rules and Cross Timbers conservation areas, which keep lots large. The median home was built in 2002 in Flower Mound and 1994 in Coppell.
Values have held steady in both: essentially flat over the past year, and up 21.6% in Flower Mound and 27.6% in Coppell over five years. Coppell homes sell faster (58 days versus 68) and closer to asking (97.8% versus 97.2%). Coppell wins Market, 81 to 77.
Lifestyle: a tie
Both score 89. Flower Mound mixes large-lot neighborhoods with Lakeside DFW on Grapevine Lake. Coppell is more compact, with Old Town Coppell and a well-used rec center, The CORE, whose hours are under budget review.
So which one?
- Choose Coppell if school ratings and a short drive to DFW and Dallas top your list, and a smaller home is fine.
- Choose Flower Mound if you want more house and land for the same price and the lowest crime rates, and you’ll check individual Lewisville ISD campuses.
Our overall scores put Coppell at 89 (tied for No. 14 in North Texas) and Flower Mound at 88 (tied for No. 16). Each wins three categories, with two ties: this is as close as matchups get, so your own priorities decide it. Set your own weights, or put them side by side on the compare page.
Sources
- Town of Flower Mound: Understanding our budget (FY2026-27 tax rate and exemptions)
- Lewisville ISD: 2025-26 budget and tax rate
- Citizen Portal: Coppell proposes 0.441166 tax rate for FY2027
- Coppell ISD: 2026-27 tax rate
- Community Impact: Efficiency audit points Coppell ISD toward a tax rate election
- Coppell Student Media: City budget and CORE hours debate
- Town of Flower Mound: Cross Timbers and SMARTGrowth FAQs
- Town of Flower Mound: Lakeside DFW
- DART: Service area
Realust figures (scores, typical home values, estimated payments, days on market, crime rates, commute times, school ratings) are from Realust data as of October 2026. Home values are Zillow’s typical home value; estimated payments are principal and interest with 20% down at a 7.40% 30-year rate; crime rates are FBI 2025 reports per 1,000 residents. The comparison table updates live. Tax rates and project dates come from the official sources listed above. Rates change every year, so confirm with the appraisal district before you buy.