Overall
91.0
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
College Station-Bryan, TX
Cost-of-living indicators for College Station-Bryan, TX, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 91.0
- Overall RPP
- #270
- of 387 metros
- 75.1
- Rents RPP
- $110K
- $100K national buys
College Station ranks #270 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.2 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Erie
The verdict
College Station costs less than 70% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 91.0, 9.0% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 75.1.
- bottom 30%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.8
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 84.4
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $109,949 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $90,951.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$90,951
in College Station-Bryan, TX purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,476
$75,000 nationally
$68,213
$125,000 nationally
$113,689
$150,000 nationally
$136,427
$200,000 nationally
$181,902
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
57/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
57th 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 College Station's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in College Station: rents index at 75.1, 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 91.0.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Lubbock, TX, Columbus, IN, Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN. They resemble College Station 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, College Station's overall index has fallen by 4.2 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.
College Station vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
91 Bottom 30% higher than 30% 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
College Station cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
75.1 RPP
- Services
Services
84.4 RPP
- Overall
Overall
91 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.8 RPP
What this shows College Station's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 75.1 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 84.4. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where College Station's cost comes from
Metros near College Station's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- College Station (College Station, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 75.1
- Erie: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 56.8
- Clarksville: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 73.8
- Mankato: goods RPP 95.4, rents RPP 79.9
- Saginaw: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 63.6
- Bismarck: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 84
- Fargo: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 81.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.8
Below avg
Services
84.4
Cheap
Rents
75.1
Cheap
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
College Station's overall RPP fell -0.3 points, from 91.3 in 2023 to 91.0 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 89.1 to 84.4. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.2 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2022, when the index dropped 2.5 points from the year before.
College Station overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.1 |
| 2009 | 94.3 |
| 2010 | 95.9 |
| 2011 | 95.6 |
| 2012 | 96.5 |
| 2013 | 95.2 |
| 2014 | 95.5 |
| 2015 | 95.9 |
| 2016 | 96.4 |
| 2017 | 94.6 |
| 2018 | 94.6 |
| 2019 | 94.5 |
| 2020 | 95.1 |
| 2021 | 94.9 |
| 2022 | 92.4 |
| 2023 | 91.3 |
| 2024 | 91.0 |
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to College Station-Bryan, TX's index of 91.0.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
TX-relative analysis
Goods prices places College Station-Bryan, TX near the bottom of TX's metros
Among the 26 TX metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, College Station-Bryan, TX ranks #3 - the 4th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares College Station-Bryan, TX only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 26
4th percentile in TX
Services prices
#4 of 26
85th percentile in TX
Rent prices
#15 of 26
42nd 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 College Station-Bryan, 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 (91.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (75.1 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 College Station'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.
Lubbock, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 82.8 · Rents 76.4 Columbus, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.6 · Rents 75.5 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.4 · Rents 76.4 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
Goods 94.2 · Services 87.7 · Rents 74.6 Fort Wayne, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.2 · Rents 72.3 Amarillo, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 83.5 · Rents 78.4
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 College Station
How to read College Station'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 $109,949 in College Station. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 75.1, 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 College Station 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 College Station-Bryan, TX?
College Station-Bryan, TX has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 91.0, meaning it is 9.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 84.4, and rents at 75.1. It ranks #270 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in College Station-Bryan, TX to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $90,951 in College Station-Bryan, TX. Conversely, $100K earned in College Station-Bryan, TX has the purchasing power of $109,949 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in College Station-Bryan, TX?
Rents in College Station-Bryan, TX are indexed at 75.1, which is 24.9% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is College Station-Bryan, TX getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, College Station-Bryan, TX's overall cost index changed by -4.2 points (from 95.1 to 91.0). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in College Station-Bryan, TX?
The priciest category in College Station-Bryan, 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 75.1, 24.9% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to College Station-Bryan, TX?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Erie, Clarksville, Mankato. These areas have RPP values within a few points of College Station-Bryan, TX's 91.0.
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.