Overall
- Abilene
- 90.4
- Gulfport-Biloxi
- 90.0
Diff -0.4 RPP
Abilene vs Gulfport-Biloxi
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Gulfport-Biloxi is 0.4% less expensive than Abilene.
0.4% less expensive
Gulfport-Biloxi, MS is 0.4% less expensive than Abilene, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.0 vs 90.4). A $100,000 salary in Abilene buys about the same as $99,604 in Gulfport-Biloxi; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 90.4 (Abilene) vs 90.0 (Gulfport-Biloxi)
- $100k in Abilene ≈ $99,604 purchasing power in Gulfport-Biloxi
- Rents drives the gap (-5.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:MS 90.4→90.0
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TX × MS
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Abilene
90.4
Cost Index
Gulfport-Biloxi
90.0
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Abilene, TX and Gulfport-Biloxi, MS are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Gulfport-Biloxi is 5.9 points lower. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Abilene corresponds to $99,604 in Gulfport-Biloxi.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Abilene
- 93.8
- Gulfport-Biloxi
- 96.2
Diff +2.5 RPP
Services
- Abilene
- 81.2
- Gulfport-Biloxi
- 76.3
Diff -4.8 RPP
Rents
- Abilene
- 73.8
- Gulfport-Biloxi
- 67.9
Diff -5.9 RPP
| Category | Abilene | Gulfport-Biloxi | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 90.4 | 90.0 | -0.4 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.2 | +2.5 |
| Services | 81.2 | 76.3 | -4.8 |
| Rents | 73.8 | 67.9 | -5.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Abilene 90.4
Gulfport-Biloxi 90.0
Goods
Abilene 93.8
Gulfport-Biloxi 96.2
Services
Abilene 81.2
Gulfport-Biloxi 76.3
Rents
Abilene 73.8
Gulfport-Biloxi 67.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
How the Price Gap Changed
Abilene and Gulfport-Biloxi share 17 published annual releases from 2008 through 2024. Their overall gap narrowed, moving from 3.1 to 0.4 RPP points. Abilene remained the higher-index metro in the latest release.
Rents changed the most within this pair: its gap moved 23.0 points between the first and latest shared releases (17.1 to 5.9 points). This describes a relative price-index history, not a forecast or a household budget.
| Release Year | Abilene RPP | Gulfport-Biloxi RPP | Relative Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.2 | 95.3 | 3.1 points Gulfport-Biloxi higher |
| 2012 | 94.1 | 94.3 | 0.2 points Gulfport-Biloxi higher |
| 2016 | 93.3 | 92.5 | 0.8 points Abilene higher |
| 2020 | 90.3 | 89.2 | 1.1 points Abilene higher |
| 2024 | 90.4 | 90.0 | 0.4 points Abilene higher |
Annual BEA Regional Price Parity releases; a higher index means a higher price level relative to the national average of 100. Selected years shown from the full shared series.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Abilene would need to be in Gulfport-Biloxi for the same purchasing power:
| In Abilene | In Gulfport-Biloxi | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,802 | $-198 |
| $75,000 | $74,703 | $-297 |
| $100,000 | $99,604 | $-396 |
| $150,000 | $149,406 | $-594 |
$ in Abilene = in Gulfport-Biloxi
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (90.4 → 90.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gulfport-Biloxi more expensive than Abilene?
Gulfport-Biloxi is 0.4% less expensive than Abilene. The overall cost index is 90.0 vs 90.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Gulfport-Biloxi equals $100K in Abilene?
A $100,000 salary in Abilene has the same purchasing power as $99,604 in Gulfport-Biloxi. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Abilene and Gulfport-Biloxi?
Rents in Abilene are indexed at 73.8 while Gulfport-Biloxi is at 67.9 (national average = 100). Abilene has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.