Loading
Assembling your view…
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.
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.
The utilities sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. And more often than not, a score of 84 (the top-10 average here) means utilities costs are about 16% below the national median. Beaumont leads at 81, followed by Amarillo (82) and Killeen (83). Note: a low utilities index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
The data doesn't lie, but it does surprise: 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. If you're a planner, this number should anchor your spreadsheet.
Look, and here's the trade-off: The 40 cities we track in Texas paint a clearly affordable picture. Average cost index: 99. Median rent: $1,536/month — for better or worse — . Household income: $79,780. Texas is known for no income tax, massive metros, and wide-open affordability — and the data backs that reputation convincingly.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. And generally speaking, the difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
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
Here's Amarillo by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 89. Rent: $1,245/month — for better or worse — . Income: $62,469/year. Home price: $202,835. Population: 202,408. The strongest category is Housing at 73; the most expensive is Healthcare at 92. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,800 per year vs. the national median. Standard stuff, really. That's an underrated factor in the decision.
159,643 residents · Texas
Dive into Killeen's numbers: cost index 90 (22 points below national average), rent $1,280/month, income $58,339, and a home price of $218,425. And with some exceptions, 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
The #4 spot goes to Mcallen, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,272/month — saving renters $7,476 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 77, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 93. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
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 — for better or worse — . 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. This is quietly one of the better values out there. Quietly competitive.
Cities are ranked by their utilities 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 utilities index at 81, 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.