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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 3 points on the cost index. Beaumont, Amarillo, Killeen, Mcallen, Waco are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreakers. …
#1 Ranked: Beaumont — cost index 88, rent $1,275/mo, income $57,530
Top 5 separated by only 3 points
38 of 40 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 3 points on the cost index. Beaumont, Amarillo, Killeen, Mcallen, Waco are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreakers. Here's the full breakdown.
What does daily life actually cost in Beaumont? Start with the 27% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 70) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 90) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $57,530 and homes at $165,122 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
The transportation sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 86 (the top-10 average here) means transportation costs are about 14% below the national median. Beaumont leads at 84, followed by Amarillo (85) and Killeen (86). Note: a low transportation index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
Top 5 separated by only 3 points. The race is tight: Beaumont, Amarillo, Killeen, Mcallen, Waco are all within 3 points of each other. At this level, differences in rent, taxes, or a single category can sway the decision.
And here's what ties it all together: Here's the state-level backdrop: Texas averages a 99 cost index, $1,536/mo rent, and $79,780 income across 40 cities. That's $359 less than the national rent average. No income tax, massive metros, and wide-open affordability — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
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.
112,193 residents · Texas
A closer look at Beaumont: the cost index of 88 breaks down to a Housing index of 70 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 90 (weakest). Median rent is $1,275/month — 33% below the national median — while household income sits at $57,530, meaning locals spend about 27% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
202,408 residents · Texas
What does daily life actually cost in Amarillo? 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 73) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 92) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $62,469 and homes at $202,835 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
159,643 residents · Texas
Dive into Killeen's numbers: cost index 90 — for better or worse — (22 points below national average), rent $1,280/month, income $58,339, and a home price of $218,425. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 76, while Healthcare runs 93. With 159,643 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
146,593 residents · Texas
What does daily life actually cost in Mcallen? Start with the 25% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 77) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 93) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $60,165 and homes at $225,568 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
144,816 residents · Texas
Here's Waco by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 91. Rent: $1,368/month. Income: $51,468/year. Home price: $191,908. Population: 144,816. The strongest category is Housing at 77; the most expensive is Healthcare at 93. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,324 per year vs. the national median. If you've ever felt priced out, the numbers here offer a different path.
Cities are ranked by their transportation cost sub-index within Texas. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. 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.
Beaumont ranks #1 in Texas for this analysis with a cost index of 88 and median income of $57,530.
Beaumont, TX has the lowest transportation index at 84, compared to the national average of 100.
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.
Beaumont (ranked #1) has a cost index of 88 and rent of $1,275/mo, while Frisco (ranked #40) has a cost index of 118 and rent of $1,751/mo — a 30-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 Beaumont is $1,275/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $620 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Beaumont is $165,122, which is 2.9× 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.