Overall
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 90.0
- Abilene
- 90.4
Diff +0.3 RPP
Beaumont-Port Arthur vs Abilene
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Abilene is 0.4% more expensive than Beaumont-Port Arthur.
0.4% more expensive
Abilene, TX is 0.4% more expensive than Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.4 vs 90.0). A $100,000 salary in Beaumont-Port Arthur buys about the same as $100,353 in Abilene; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 90.0 (Beaumont-Port Arthur) vs 90.4 (Abilene)
- $100k in Beaumont-Port Arthur ≈ $100,353 purchasing power in Abilene
- Rents drives the gap (+2.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:TX 90.0→90.4
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · TX
- 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.
Beaumont-Port Arthur
90.0
Cost Index
Abilene
90.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX and Abilene, TX are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Abilene is 2.9 points higher. But services and 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 Beaumont-Port Arthur corresponds to $100,353 in Abilene.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 93.8
- Abilene
- 93.8
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 83.1
- Abilene
- 81.2
Diff -1.9 RPP
Rents
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 70.9
- Abilene
- 73.8
Diff +2.9 RPP
| Category | Beaumont-Port Arthur | Abilene | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 90.0 | 90.4 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.8 | 0.0 |
| Services | 83.1 | 81.2 | -1.9 |
| Rents | 70.9 | 73.8 | +2.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Beaumont-Port Arthur 90.0
Abilene 90.4
Goods
Beaumont-Port Arthur 93.8
Abilene 93.8
Services
Beaumont-Port Arthur 83.1
Abilene 81.2
Rents
Beaumont-Port Arthur 70.9
Abilene 73.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Beaumont-Port Arthur would need to be in Abilene for the same purchasing power:
| In Beaumont-Port Arthur | In Abilene | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,177 | +$177 |
| $75,000 | $75,265 | +$265 |
| $100,000 | $100,353 | +$353 |
| $150,000 | $150,530 | +$530 |
$ in Beaumont-Port Arthur = in Abilene
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (90.0 → 90.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Abilene more expensive than Beaumont-Port Arthur?
Abilene is 0.4% more expensive than Beaumont-Port Arthur. The overall cost index is 90.4 vs 90.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Abilene equals $100K in Beaumont-Port Arthur?
A $100,000 salary in Beaumont-Port Arthur has the same purchasing power as $100,353 in Abilene. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Beaumont-Port Arthur and Abilene?
Rents in Beaumont-Port Arthur are indexed at 70.9 while Abilene is at 73.8 (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.