Overall
- Waco
- 92.5
Diff -0.2 RPP
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford vs Waco
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Waco is 0.2% less expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford.
0.2% less expensive
Waco, TX is 0.2% less expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.5 vs 92.7). A $100,000 salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford buys about the same as $99,827 in Waco; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.7 (Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford) vs 92.5 (Waco)
- $100k in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ≈ $99,827 purchasing power in Waco
- Rents drives the gap (+9.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair VA:TX 92.7→92.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE VA × 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.
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford
92.7
Cost Index
Waco
92.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA and Waco, TX are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Waco is 9.2 points higher. But rents 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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford corresponds to $99,827 in Waco.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Waco
- 93.8
Diff -3.0 RPP
Services
- Waco
- 81.0
Diff -7.1 RPP
Rents
- Waco
- 83.5
Diff +9.2 RPP
| Category | Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | Waco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.7 | 92.5 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 96.8 | 93.8 | -3.0 |
| Services | 88.1 | 81.0 | -7.1 |
| Rents | 74.4 | 83.5 | +9.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 92.7
Waco 92.5
Goods
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 96.8
Waco 93.8
Services
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 88.1
Waco 81.0
Rents
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 74.4
Waco 83.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford would need to be in Waco for the same purchasing power:
| In Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | In Waco | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,914 | $-86 |
| $75,000 | $74,871 | $-129 |
| $100,000 | $99,827 | $-173 |
| $150,000 | $149,741 | $-259 |
$ in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford = in Waco
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.7 → 92.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Waco more expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?
Waco is 0.2% less expensive than Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford. The overall cost index is 92.5 vs 92.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Waco equals $100K in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?
A $100,000 salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford has the same purchasing power as $99,827 in Waco. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford and Waco?
Rents in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford are indexed at 74.4 while Waco is at 83.5 (national average = 100). Waco 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.