Overall
- Waco
- 92.5
- Twin Falls
- 92.1
Diff -0.4 RPP
Waco vs Twin Falls
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Twin Falls is 0.5% less expensive than Waco.
0.5% less expensive
Twin Falls, ID * 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 $99,522 in Twin Falls; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 92.5 (Waco) vs 92.1 (Twin Falls)
- $100k in Waco ≈ $99,522 purchasing power in Twin Falls
- Services drives the gap (-10.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:ID 92.5→92.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TX × ID
- 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
Twin Falls
92.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Waco, TX and Twin Falls, ID * are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Twin Falls is 10.9 points lower. But 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Waco to $99,522 in Twin Falls, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Waco
- 93.8
- Twin Falls
- 96.2
Diff +2.4 RPP
Services
- Waco
- 81.0
- Twin Falls
- 70.0
Diff -10.9 RPP
Rents
- Waco
- 83.5
- Twin Falls
- 73.8
Diff -9.7 RPP
| Category | Waco | Twin Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.5 | 92.1 | -0.4 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.2 | +2.4 |
| Services | 81.0 | 70.0 | -10.9 |
| Rents | 83.5 | 73.8 | -9.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Waco 92.5
Twin Falls 92.1
Goods
Waco 93.8
Twin Falls 96.2
Services
Waco 81.0
Twin Falls 70.0
Rents
Waco 83.5
Twin Falls 73.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Waco would need to be in Twin Falls for the same purchasing power:
| In Waco | In Twin Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,761 | $-239 |
| $75,000 | $74,642 | $-358 |
| $100,000 | $99,522 | $-478 |
| $150,000 | $149,284 | $-716 |
$ in Waco = in Twin Falls
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 Twin Falls more expensive than Waco?
Twin Falls is 0.5% less expensive than Waco. The overall cost index is 92.1 vs 92.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Twin Falls equals $100K in Waco?
A $100,000 salary in Waco has the same purchasing power as $99,522 in Twin Falls. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Waco and Twin Falls?
Rents in Waco are indexed at 83.5 while Twin Falls is at 73.8 (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.