Why count tolls in the rent?
A building farther out often has a lower rent. If the fastest way to work is a toll road, part of that savings goes to the toll. If you’re comparing new apartments near work, the toll belongs in the monthly price, right next to rent and fees. Otherwise the cheaper building can look cheaper than it is.
On the Fort Worth side, two kinds of tolls show up most: the Chisholm Trail Parkway (CTP) and the TEXpress managed lanes.
How much does the Chisholm Trail Parkway cost?
The CTP runs from near the Near Southside, southwest through Fort Worth and toward Burleson and Cleburne. It’s priced per mile:
| Payment | Rate |
|---|---|
| TollTag | 22¢ a mile |
| ZipCash (billed by plate) | About double the TollTag rate |
The headline number: a daily CTP commute from the Cleburne end runs $286.02 a month with a TollTag (NTTA rates, Jul 1, 2025). That’s from the far end of the road. From Burleson or Southwest Fort Worth, the trip is shorter and the cost is lower.
How do you figure your own toll?
Use three numbers: the toll miles one way, the rate, and how many days a week you drive.
Monthly toll = toll miles one way × 2 × rate × days a week × 52 ÷ 12
Here’s a labeled illustration with a TollTag at 22¢ a mile, 5 days a week:
| Toll miles one way | Daily | Monthly | 24 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $2.20 | about $48 | about $1,144 |
| 10 | $4.40 | about $95 | about $2,288 |
| 15 | $6.60 | about $143 | about $3,432 |
| 20 | $8.80 | about $191 | about $4,576 |
These are examples only. Our Toll Cost Check runs your own route, with TollTag or ZipCash.
How do TEXpress lanes work?
TEXpress managed lanes run along parts of I-35W, SH 121, and SH 114, among others. Their pricing is dynamic. When traffic is heavy, the toll rises. When it’s light, it falls. So the same trip can cost more at 7:30 AM than at 9 AM. HOV 2+ drivers pay half price at peak.
Because the price moves, we estimate a monthly figure from your usual times and whether you’d carpool.
Tolls are a line item
We add tolls to true monthly and to the 24-month total, then compare the toll-free route too, so you can see what the time savings costs.
Where does this matter most?
Burleson is the clearest case. Our Oct 25, 2026 example there was $876 after the special, the lowest “from” figure on our board. For a daily CTP commute to Downtown or the Medical District, the toll can move it from first to middle of the pack. Our Burleson new apartments page compares it with Southwest Fort Worth both ways. For Medical District jobs, see new apartments near the Fort Worth Medical District for the buildings on that commute.
TollTag vs. ZipCash over a lease
Payment method changes the total a lot. Here’s a labeled illustration for a 10-mile one-way toll segment, 5 days a week.
| Payment | Rate used | Monthly | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| TollTag | 22¢ a mile | about $95 | about $1,144 |
| ZipCash | about double | about $191 | about $2,288 |
ZipCash bills by mail from your license plate and costs about twice as much. If you’ll drive a toll road regularly, a TollTag usually pays for itself quickly. If you’re new to Texas, set one up before your first commute.
Two more things to check. First, whether your route has a toll-free option at your hour, like I-35W from Burleson. Second, whether you’d drive the toll road every day or only some days. A three-day-a-week pattern cuts the monthly toll by about 40% compared with five days.
What happens next?
Tell us your work address, your usual hours, and whether you’d use a TollTag. We’ll text you within minutes during our hours, then send a same-day shortlist with the toll for each building added to the whole price.
