Overall
- Waco
- 92.5
Diff -5.7 RPP
Prescott Valley-Prescott vs Waco
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Waco is 5.8% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott.
5.8% less expensive
Waco, TX is 5.8% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.5 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott buys about the same as $94,194 in Waco; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Prescott Valley-Prescott) vs 92.5 (Waco)
- $100k in Prescott Valley-Prescott ≈ $94,194 purchasing power in Waco
- Rents drives the gap (-15.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AZ:TX 98.3→92.5
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE AZ × TX
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott would need to be in Waco for the same purchasing power:
| In Prescott Valley-Prescott | In Waco | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $47,097 | $-2,903 |
| $75,000 | $70,645 | $-4,355 |
| $100,000 | $94,194 | $-5,806 |
| $150,000 | $141,291 | $-8,709 |
$ in Prescott Valley-Prescott = in Waco
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 92.5), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
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.
Waco, TX is 5.8% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 5.7-point overall gap.
Rents leads the difference, with Waco 15.3 points lower than Prescott Valley-Prescott. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Prescott Valley-Prescott corresponds to $94,194 in Waco.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Waco
- 93.8
Diff -2.5 RPP
Services
- Waco
- 81.0
Diff -10.5 RPP
Rents
- Waco
- 83.5
Diff -15.3 RPP
| Category | Prescott Valley-Prescott | Waco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 92.5 | -5.7 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 93.8 | -2.5 |
| Services | 91.5 | 81.0 | -10.5 |
| Rents | 98.8 | 83.5 | -15.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Prescott Valley-Prescott 98.3
Waco 92.5
Goods
Prescott Valley-Prescott 96.2
Waco 93.8
Services
Prescott Valley-Prescott 91.5
Waco 81.0
Rents
Prescott Valley-Prescott 98.8
Waco 83.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Prescott Valley-Prescott
98.3
Cost Index
Waco
92.5
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Waco more expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott?
Waco is 5.8% less expensive than Prescott Valley-Prescott. The overall cost index is 92.5 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Waco equals $100K in Prescott Valley-Prescott?
A $100,000 salary in Prescott Valley-Prescott has the same purchasing power as $94,194 in Waco. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Prescott Valley-Prescott and Waco?
Rents in Prescott Valley-Prescott are indexed at 98.8 while Waco is at 83.5 (national average = 100). Prescott Valley-Prescott 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.