Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
No second income to fall back on. Our model scored 40 cities in Texas on solo-living metrics. Amarillo leads at index 73 with rent of $1,245/mo.
#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
No second income to fall back on. Our model scored 40 cities in Texas on solo-living metrics. Amarillo leads at index 73 with rent of $1,245/mo.
Dive into Amarillo's numbers: cost index 73 (38 points below national average), rent $1,245/month, income $62,469, and a home price of $202,835. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 73, while Healthcare runs 95. With 202,408 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Bottom line: Amarillo leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
202,408 residents · Texas
A closer look at Amarillo: the cost index of 73 breaks down to a Housing index of 73 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 95 (weakest). Median rent is $1,245/month — 34% below the national median — while household income sits at $62,469, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
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
Mcallen earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 74 cost index sits 37 points below the national baseline, and the $60,165 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $225,568 — $241,802 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 74, while Healthcare trails at 95.
112,193 residents · Texas
The #4 spot goes to Beaumont, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,275/month — saving renters $7,440 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 74, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 95. A 27% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
110,327 residents · Texas
Tyler earns its position at #5 through a combination that's hard to replicate. You get the picture. The 75 cost index sits 36 points below the national baseline, and the $65,527 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $248,536 — $218,834 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 75, while Healthcare trails at 95.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to singles. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Texas by this personalized metric. 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.