Overall
- Wichita Falls
- 89.5
- El Paso
- 89.9
Diff +0.4 RPP
Wichita Falls vs El Paso
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. El Paso is 0.4% more expensive than Wichita Falls.
0.4% more expensive
El Paso, TX is 0.4% more expensive than Wichita Falls, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 89.9 vs 89.5). A $100,000 salary in Wichita Falls buys about the same as $100,446 in El Paso; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 89.5 (Wichita Falls) vs 89.9 (El Paso)
- $100k in Wichita Falls ≈ $100,446 purchasing power in El Paso
- Rents drives the gap (+3.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:TX 89.5→89.9
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · 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.
Wichita Falls
89.5
Cost Index
El Paso
89.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Wichita Falls, TX and El Paso, TX 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.
Rents creates the largest separation: El Paso is 3.0 points higher. 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 Wichita Falls corresponds to $100,446 in El Paso.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Wichita Falls
- 93.8
- El Paso
- 93.8
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Wichita Falls
- 84.1
- El Paso
- 82.6
Diff -1.5 RPP
Rents
- Wichita Falls
- 68.2
- El Paso
- 71.2
Diff +3.0 RPP
| Category | Wichita Falls | El Paso | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 89.5 | 89.9 | +0.4 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.8 | 0.0 |
| Services | 84.1 | 82.6 | -1.5 |
| Rents | 68.2 | 71.2 | +3.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Wichita Falls 89.5
El Paso 89.9
Goods
Wichita Falls 93.8
El Paso 93.8
Services
Wichita Falls 84.1
El Paso 82.6
Rents
Wichita Falls 68.2
El Paso 71.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Wichita Falls would need to be in El Paso for the same purchasing power:
| In Wichita Falls | In El Paso | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,223 | +$223 |
| $75,000 | $75,334 | +$334 |
| $100,000 | $100,446 | +$446 |
| $150,000 | $150,669 | +$669 |
$ in Wichita Falls = in El Paso
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (89.5 → 89.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is El Paso more expensive than Wichita Falls?
El Paso is 0.4% more expensive than Wichita Falls. The overall cost index is 89.9 vs 89.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in El Paso equals $100K in Wichita Falls?
A $100,000 salary in Wichita Falls has the same purchasing power as $100,446 in El Paso. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Wichita Falls and El Paso?
Rents in Wichita Falls are indexed at 68.2 while El Paso is at 71.2 (national average = 100). El Paso 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.