Overall
86.0
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Cost-of-living indicators for Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 86.0
- Overall RPP
- #365
- of 387 metros
- 57.7
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
Brownsville ranks #365 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Anniston-Oxford
The verdict
Brownsville costs less than 94% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 86.0, 14.0% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 57.7.
- bottom 6%
- 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 $116,313 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $85,975.
Brownsville vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 6% higher than 6% 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
Brownsville cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
57.7 RPP
- Services
Services
81.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
86 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.8 RPP
What this shows Brownsville's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 57.7 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 Brownsville's cost comes from
Metros near Brownsville's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Brownsville (Brownsville, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.7
- Anniston: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 54.7
- Lawton: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.4
- Johnstown: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 42.3
- McAllen: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 55.9
- Fort Smith: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.4
- Jonesboro: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.8
Below avg
Services
81.2
Cheap
Rents
57.7
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Brownsville's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Brownsville: rents index at 57.7, 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 86.0.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Sioux City, IA-NE-SD, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX, Laredo, TX. They resemble Brownsville 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, Brownsville's overall index has stayed within 0.9 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.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$85,975
in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$42,987
$75,000 nationally
$64,481
$125,000 nationally
$107,469
$150,000 nationally
$128,962
$200,000 nationally
$171,950
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
87/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
87th 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.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 2.9 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Brownsville overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 85.0 |
| 2009 | 86.2 |
| 2010 | 87.1 |
| 2011 | 89.6 |
| 2012 | 89.2 |
| 2013 | 87.6 |
| 2014 | 87.9 |
| 2015 | 88.4 |
| 2016 | 89.5 |
| 2017 | 88.0 |
| 2018 | 85.1 |
| 2019 | 87.7 |
| 2020 | 85.0 |
| 2021 | 87.8 |
| 2022 | 85.1 |
| 2023 | 85.7 |
| 2024 | 86.0 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Brownsville's overall RPP rose +0.3 points, from 85.7 in 2023 to 86.0 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 88.1 to 81.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Brownsville'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.
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
Goods 94.0 · Services 82.7 · Rents 57.8 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 81.2 · Rents 55.9 Laredo, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 80.6 · Rents 59.7 Eagle Pass, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 81.9 · Rents 53.7 Tuscaloosa, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 84.4 · Rents 58.2 Farmington, NM
Goods 96.1 · Services 77.9 · Rents 56.6
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Brownsville-Harlingen, TX's index of 86.0.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
TX-relative analysis
Goods prices places Brownsville-Harlingen, TX near the bottom of TX's metros
Among the 26 TX metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX ranks #3 - the 4th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Brownsville-Harlingen, TX only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 26
4th percentile in TX
Services prices
#22 of 26
15th percentile in TX
Rent prices
#23 of 26
12th 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 Brownsville-Harlingen, 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 (86.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (57.7 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 →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
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What this means for Brownsville
How to read Brownsville'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 $116,313 in Brownsville. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 57.7, 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 Brownsville 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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 86.0, meaning it is 14.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 81.2, and rents at 57.7. It ranks #365 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $85,975 in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX. Conversely, $100K earned in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX has the purchasing power of $116,313 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
Rents in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX are indexed at 57.7, which is 42.3% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Brownsville-Harlingen, TX getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX's overall cost index changed by +0.9 points (from 85.0 to 86.0). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
The priciest category in Brownsville-Harlingen, 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 57.7, 42.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Anniston-Oxford, Lawton, Johnstown. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Brownsville-Harlingen, TX's 86.0.
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.