Overall
- Fort Wayne
- 92.6
- Waco
- 92.5
Diff -0.0 RPP
Fort Wayne vs Waco
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Waco is 0% less expensive than Fort Wayne.
0% less expensive
Waco, TX is 0% less expensive than Fort Wayne, IN on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.5 vs 92.6). A $100,000 salary in Fort Wayne buys about the same as $99,976 in Waco; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.6 (Fort Wayne) vs 92.5 (Waco)
- $100k in Fort Wayne ≈ $99,976 purchasing power in Waco
- Rents drives the gap (+11.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair IN:TX 92.6→92.5
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE IN × 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.
Fort Wayne
92.6
Cost Index
Waco
92.5
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Fort Wayne, IN and Waco, TX are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.0 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 11.3 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 Fort Wayne corresponds to $99,976 in Waco.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Fort Wayne
- 94.3
- Waco
- 93.8
Diff -0.6 RPP
Services
- Fort Wayne
- 86.2
- Waco
- 81.0
Diff -5.3 RPP
Rents
- Fort Wayne
- 72.3
- Waco
- 83.5
Diff +11.3 RPP
| Category | Fort Wayne | Waco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.6 | 92.5 | -0.0 |
| Goods | 94.3 | 93.8 | -0.6 |
| Services | 86.2 | 81.0 | -5.3 |
| Rents | 72.3 | 83.5 | +11.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Fort Wayne 92.6
Waco 92.5
Goods
Fort Wayne 94.3
Waco 93.8
Services
Fort Wayne 86.2
Waco 81.0
Rents
Fort Wayne 72.3
Waco 83.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Fort Wayne would need to be in Waco for the same purchasing power:
| In Fort Wayne | In Waco | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,988 | $-12 |
| $75,000 | $74,982 | $-18 |
| $100,000 | $99,976 | $-24 |
| $150,000 | $149,964 | $-36 |
$ in Fort Wayne = in Waco
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.6 → 92.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Waco more expensive than Fort Wayne?
Waco is 0% less expensive than Fort Wayne. The overall cost index is 92.5 vs 92.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Waco equals $100K in Fort Wayne?
A $100,000 salary in Fort Wayne has the same purchasing power as $99,976 in Waco. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Fort Wayne and Waco?
Rents in Fort Wayne are indexed at 72.3 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.