Overall
- Waco
- 92.5
- Champaign-Urbana
- 92.7
Diff +0.2 RPP
Waco vs Champaign-Urbana
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Champaign-Urbana is 0.2% more expensive than Waco.
0.2% more expensive
Champaign-Urbana, IL is 0.2% more expensive than Waco, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.7 vs 92.5). A $100,000 salary in Waco buys about the same as $100,166 in Champaign-Urbana; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.5 (Waco) vs 92.7 (Champaign-Urbana)
- $100k in Waco ≈ $100,166 purchasing power in Champaign-Urbana
- Rents drives the gap (-11.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:IL 92.5→92.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TX × IL
- 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.
Waco
92.5
Cost Index
Champaign-Urbana
92.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Waco, TX and Champaign-Urbana, IL 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: Champaign-Urbana is 11.9 points lower. But rents 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 Waco corresponds to $100,166 in Champaign-Urbana.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Waco
- 93.8
- Champaign-Urbana
- 93.6
Diff -0.1 RPP
Services
- Waco
- 81.0
- Champaign-Urbana
- 90.5
Diff +9.5 RPP
Rents
- Waco
- 83.5
- Champaign-Urbana
- 71.6
Diff -11.9 RPP
| Category | Waco | Champaign-Urbana | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.5 | 92.7 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.6 | -0.1 |
| Services | 81.0 | 90.5 | +9.5 |
| Rents | 83.5 | 71.6 | -11.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Waco 92.5
Champaign-Urbana 92.7
Goods
Waco 93.8
Champaign-Urbana 93.6
Services
Waco 81.0
Champaign-Urbana 90.5
Rents
Waco 83.5
Champaign-Urbana 71.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Waco would need to be in Champaign-Urbana for the same purchasing power:
| In Waco | In Champaign-Urbana | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,083 | +$83 |
| $75,000 | $75,125 | +$125 |
| $100,000 | $100,166 | +$166 |
| $150,000 | $150,250 | +$250 |
$ in Waco = in Champaign-Urbana
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.5 → 92.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Champaign-Urbana more expensive than Waco?
Champaign-Urbana is 0.2% more expensive than Waco. The overall cost index is 92.7 vs 92.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Champaign-Urbana equals $100K in Waco?
A $100,000 salary in Waco has the same purchasing power as $100,166 in Champaign-Urbana. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Waco and Champaign-Urbana?
Rents in Waco are indexed at 83.5 while Champaign-Urbana is at 71.6 (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.