Overall
90.4
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Abilene, TX
Cost-of-living indicators for Abilene, TX, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 90.4
- Overall RPP
- #282
- of 387 metros
- 73.8
- Rents RPP
- $111K
- $100K national buys
Abilene ranks #282 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Elkhart-Goshen
The verdict
Abilene costs less than 73% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 90.4, 9.6% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 73.8.
- bottom 27%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.8
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 81.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $110,664 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $90,364.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$90,364
in Abilene, TX purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,182
$75,000 nationally
$67,773
$125,000 nationally
$112,955
$150,000 nationally
$135,546
$200,000 nationally
$180,728
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
61/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
61st percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Abilene's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Abilene: rents index at 73.8, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 90.4.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Casper, WY, El Paso, TX, Rapid City, SD. They resemble Abilene across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Abilene's overall index has stayed within 1.8 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Abilene vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
90 Bottom 27% higher than 27% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Abilene cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
73.8 RPP
- Services
Services
81.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
90.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.8 RPP
What this shows Abilene's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 73.8 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 81.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Abilene's cost comes from
Metros near Abilene's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Abilene (Abilene, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 73.8
- Elkhart: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 64.3
- Oklahoma City: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 73.9
- Springfield: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 61.7
- Lawrence: goods RPP 94, rents RPP 71.6
- Las Cruces: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 63
- Battle Creek: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 61
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.8
Below avg
Services
81.2
Cheap
Rents
73.8
Cheap
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Abilene's overall RPP did not change 0.0 points, from 90.4 in 2023 to 90.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 88.8 to 81.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 3.6 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Abilene overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.2 |
| 2009 | 89.4 |
| 2010 | 93.0 |
| 2011 | 92.5 |
| 2012 | 94.1 |
| 2013 | 92.5 |
| 2014 | 94.6 |
| 2015 | 92.9 |
| 2016 | 93.3 |
| 2017 | 93.7 |
| 2018 | 92.3 |
| 2019 | 92.4 |
| 2020 | 90.3 |
| 2021 | 91.7 |
| 2022 | 91.5 |
| 2023 | 90.4 |
| 2024 | 90.4 |
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Abilene, TX's index of 90.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
TX-relative analysis
Goods prices places Abilene, TX near the bottom of TX's metros
Among the 26 TX metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Abilene, TX ranks #3 - the 4th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Abilene, TX only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 26
4th percentile in TX
Services prices
#21 of 26
19th percentile in TX
Rent prices
#16 of 26
38th percentile in TX
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within TX only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Abilene, TX: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (90.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (73.8 here).
Other TX Metros
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 103.1 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 98.6 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 98.1 Midland, TX 95.8 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 94.7 Odessa, TX 93.9
View all TX metros → Cheapest in TX → Most expensive in TX →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Abilene's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Casper, WY
Goods 95.4 · Services 78.9 · Rents 74.2 El Paso, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 82.6 · Rents 71.2 Rapid City, SD
Goods 95.5 · Services 79.1 · Rents 72.6 Lubbock, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 82.8 · Rents 76.4 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 83.1 · Rents 70.9 College Station-Bryan, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 84.4 · Rents 75.1
Compare to Other Metros
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Abilene
How to read Abilene's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $110,664 in Abilene. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 73.8, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Abilene head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Abilene, TX?
Abilene, TX has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 90.4, meaning it is 9.6% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 81.2, and rents at 73.8. It ranks #282 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Abilene, TX to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $90,364 in Abilene, TX. Conversely, $100K earned in Abilene, TX has the purchasing power of $110,664 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Abilene, TX?
Rents in Abilene, TX are indexed at 73.8, which is 26.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Abilene, TX getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Abilene, TX's overall cost index changed by -1.8 points (from 92.2 to 90.4). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Abilene, TX?
The priciest category in Abilene, TX is goods at 93.8, 6.2% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 73.8, 26.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Abilene, TX?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Elkhart-Goshen, Oklahoma City, Springfield. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Abilene, TX's 90.4.
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.