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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 40 cities across Texas on rent, cost of living, and population. Amarillo ($1,245/mo, 202,408 residents) ranks #1.
#1 Ranked: Amarillo — cost index 73, rent $1,245/mo, income $62,469
Top 5 separated by only 2 points
Singles scoring: rent $1,245/mo (solo housing), cost index 73, population 202,408 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Single-income living requires cities where one paycheck covers everything. We scored 40 cities across Texas on rent, cost of living, and population. Amarillo ($1,245/mo, 202,408 residents) ranks #1.
The numbers for Amarillo are straightforward: 73 on the cost index, $1,245/month rent, $62,469 income. And in most cases, not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours. Not even close to the national average.
The race is tight: Amarillo, Killeen, Mcallen, Beaumont, Tyler are all within 2 points of each other. At this level, differences in rent, taxes, or a single category can sway the decision.
Rent in #1-ranked Amarillo has increased from $1,204 to $1,245/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
Amarillo (index 73) and Sugar Land (index 116) sit 43 points apart on the cost index — proof that Texas is far from monolithic in affordability.
202,408 residents · Texas
Here's Amarillo by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 73. Rent: $1,245/month. Income: $62,469/year. Home price: $202,835. Population: 202,408. The strongest category is Housing at 73; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,800 per year vs. the national median. This stands out as genuinely impressive.
159,643 residents · Texas
What does daily life actually cost in Killeen? Start with the 26% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 75) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 95) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $58,339 and homes at $218,425 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
146,593 residents · Texas
Why Mcallen ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 74 on the cost index, residents save roughly 37% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,272/month while the median household pulls in $60,165/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 74, though Healthcare (95) lags behind. Home prices average $225,568 — $241,802 below the national median.
112,193 residents · Texas
Why Beaumont ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. That tracks. At 74 on the cost index, residents save roughly 37% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,275/month while the median household pulls in $57,530/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 74, though Healthcare (95) lags behind. Home prices average $165,122 — $302,248 below the national median.
110,327 residents · Texas
What does daily life actually cost in Tyler? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Housing (index 75) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 95) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $65,527 and homes at $248,536 round out a profile that ranks #5 for clear reasons.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to singles. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Amarillo ranks #1 in Texas for this analysis with a cost index of 73 and median income of $62,469.
Amarillo scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,245/mo, and competitive median income of $62,469.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Amarillo (ranked #1) has a cost index of 73 and rent of $1,245/mo, while Sugar Land (ranked #40) has a cost index of 116 and rent of $1,990/mo — a 43-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Amarillo is $1,245/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $650 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Amarillo is $202,835, which is 3.2× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Texas has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.19%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.6%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.