Overall
- Waco
- 92.5
- Jacksonville
- 92.1
Diff -0.5 RPP
Waco vs Jacksonville
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Jacksonville is 0.5% less expensive than Waco.
0.5% less expensive
Jacksonville, NC is 0.5% less expensive than Waco, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 92.1 vs 92.5). A $100,000 salary in Waco buys about the same as $99,498 in Jacksonville; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.5 (Waco) vs 92.1 (Jacksonville)
- $100k in Waco ≈ $99,498 purchasing power in Jacksonville
- Rents drives the gap (-11.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:NC 92.5→92.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TX × NC
- 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
Jacksonville
92.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Waco, TX and Jacksonville, NC are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.5 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Jacksonville is 11.4 points lower. 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 Waco corresponds to $99,498 in Jacksonville.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Waco
- 93.8
- Jacksonville
- 96.6
Diff +2.9 RPP
Services
- Waco
- 81.0
- Jacksonville
- 87.2
Diff +6.3 RPP
Rents
- Waco
- 83.5
- Jacksonville
- 72.1
Diff -11.4 RPP
| Category | Waco | Jacksonville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.5 | 92.1 | -0.5 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.6 | +2.9 |
| Services | 81.0 | 87.2 | +6.3 |
| Rents | 83.5 | 72.1 | -11.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Waco 92.5
Jacksonville 92.1
Goods
Waco 93.8
Jacksonville 96.6
Services
Waco 81.0
Jacksonville 87.2
Rents
Waco 83.5
Jacksonville 72.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Waco would need to be in Jacksonville for the same purchasing power:
| In Waco | In Jacksonville | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,749 | $-251 |
| $75,000 | $74,623 | $-377 |
| $100,000 | $99,498 | $-502 |
| $150,000 | $149,246 | $-754 |
$ in Waco = in Jacksonville
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.5 → 92.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jacksonville more expensive than Waco?
Jacksonville is 0.5% less expensive than Waco. The overall cost index is 92.1 vs 92.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Jacksonville equals $100K in Waco?
A $100,000 salary in Waco has the same purchasing power as $99,498 in Jacksonville. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Waco and Jacksonville?
Rents in Waco are indexed at 83.5 while Jacksonville is at 72.1 (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.