Property Tax · Yiyang, Hunan, China vs the United States

Americans Are Voting to Cut Property Taxes. Most Chinese Homeowners Don't Pay One.

The average US home paid $4,427 in property tax last year, every year, forever. In Yiyang, you pay a one-time tax when you buy — then nothing annual. Here's how it works, and what you give up.

YiyangFangchan Editorial · October 1, 2026 · 8 min read
🧮Part of our China vs USA series. Compare your full yearly cost of owning a home with the calculator →

There's a property tax revolt going on in America. On November 3, Florida voters decide on Amendment 3, which would raise the homestead exemption to $250,000. Georgia lawmakers debated phasing out homeowner property taxes. Michigan, Oklahoma, South Dakota and other states have weighed cuts this year. The reason is simple: the average US single-family home paid $4,427 in property tax in 2025, up 3% in a year, according to ATTOM.

And it never stops. You can pay off your mortgage and still owe the county every year for as long as you own the house — and in most states, unpaid property taxes can end in a tax lien or tax sale. Many Americans have started asking: do I ever really own my home?

In China, the answer looks very different. We checked the rules and asked our agents in Yiyang, a city of about four million people in Hunan province.

Average US home

$4,427

property tax per year (2025), every year

vs

Yiyang, owner-occupied

$0

annual property tax — one-time deed tax at purchase

What America Is Fighting About

How China Does It: Pay Once, Up Front

China taxes homes mostly at the moment you buy them, not every year you own them.

Your property tax vs owning in Yiyang

US total grows at your chosen yearly rate. Yiyang = deed tax once (1% up to 140 m², 1.5% above, assuming it's your only home) + property fee at ¥1.5/m²/month held flat. Excludes the one-time repair-fund deposit, utilities and insurance. Assumes no annual property tax is introduced during your ownership.

China vs America, Side by Side

Yiyang, ChinaUnited States
Annual property tax on your homeNone (pilots only in Shanghai and Chongqing)Average $4,427 (2025); effective rate ~0.9%
Tax when you buyDeed tax 1%–2%, onceTransfer taxes vary by state; often small
After the mortgage is paid offNo annual tax billTax bill continues every year
If you don't payNo annual tax to fall behind onTax lien or tax sale possible in most states
Land70-year residential land-use right, renews automaticallyYou own the land outright (freehold)
What the tax fundsLocal governments rely more on land sales and other revenueSchools, police, fire, roads

The Catches (We'll Be Honest)

See what $0-a-year property tax looks like

Browse modern apartments in Yiyang with prices, sizes and the monthly property fee for each complex. Ask us what your one-time deed tax would be.

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This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. Tax rules change; confirm current rates before you buy.

FAQ

Do homeowners in China pay property tax every year?
In most of China, no. Under the 1986 Interim Regulations on Real Estate Tax, housing that individuals own and do not use for business is exempt. Only Shanghai and Chongqing have run pilot taxes on some homes since 2011, at roughly 0.4% to 1.2% a year depending on the city and property. Yiyang, in Hunan province, has no annual property tax on owner-occupied homes.
What taxes do you pay when you buy a home in China?
The main one is deed tax, paid once at purchase. Under rules in force since December 1, 2024, an individual buying a first or second home of 140 m² or less pays 1%. Above 140 m², it is 1.5% for a family's only home and 2% for a second home. Buyers also pay into the building's special maintenance fund.
How much property tax does the average American homeowner pay?
ATTOM reported that the average property tax bill on a US single-family home was $4,427 in 2025, up 3% from 2024, an effective rate of about 0.9% of market value. New Jersey had the highest average bill at $10,499, and Westchester County, New York, the highest county average at $18,386.
What is Florida Amendment 3 on the November 2026 ballot?
It would raise Florida's homestead exemption from non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then adjust it for inflation, and lower the annual assessment-increase cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5%. Voters decide on November 3, 2026, and Florida constitutional amendments need 60% approval.
Will China introduce a property tax in the future?
It could. In 2021 China's national legislature authorized the State Council to pilot a broader property tax in selected cities for five years. As far as we can find, no new pilot cities have been announced, but buyers should treat a future tax as a real possibility rather than a promise that it will never come.
Do you own the land under a Chinese apartment?
No. You own the apartment and hold a land-use right for residential land, typically 70 years. China's Civil Code (Article 359) says residential land-use rights renew automatically when they expire, with any renewal fee to be set by law, and those fee rules have not been finalized.
Can an American buy an apartment in Yiyang?
Foreign nationals who work or study in China can generally buy one home for their own use, subject to local rules. See our guide to buying property in China as a foreigner for the current process.

Own a Home With No Annual Property Tax Bill

Tell us your budget. We'll show you apartments in Yiyang and work out the one-time deed tax for each.

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