Overall
92.7
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Corpus Christi, TX
Cost-of-living indicators for Corpus Christi, TX, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 92.7
- Overall RPP
- #224
- of 387 metros
- 84.9
- Rents RPP
- $108K
- $100K national buys
Corpus Christi ranks #224 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 2.9 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Utica-Rome
The verdict
Corpus Christi costs less than 58% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 92.7, 7.3% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 81.0.
- bottom 42%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.8
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 81.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $107,909 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $92,671.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$92,671
in Corpus Christi, TX purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,336
$75,000 nationally
$69,503
$125,000 nationally
$115,839
$150,000 nationally
$139,007
$200,000 nationally
$185,342
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
42/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
42nd 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 been trending downward, decreasing by 2.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 3.5 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Corpus Christi overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.6 |
| 2009 | 92.1 |
| 2010 | 95.3 |
| 2011 | 94.7 |
| 2012 | 95.1 |
| 2013 | 96.9 |
| 2014 | 96.1 |
| 2015 | 95.9 |
| 2016 | 96.9 |
| 2017 | 96.2 |
| 2018 | 93.8 |
| 2019 | 94.6 |
| 2020 | 94.9 |
| 2021 | 94.3 |
| 2022 | 93.3 |
| 2023 | 91.7 |
| 2024 | 92.7 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Corpus Christi's overall RPP rose +1.0 points, from 91.7 in 2023 to 92.7 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 88.4 to 81.0. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Service-cost relief profile
How Corpus Christi's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Corpus Christi: their index is 81.0, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 92.7 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Waco, TX, Iowa City, IA, San Angelo, TX. They resemble Corpus Christi 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, Corpus Christi's overall index has fallen by 2.9 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.
Corpus Christi vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 42% higher than 42% 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
Corpus Christi cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
84.9 RPP
- Services
Services
81 RPP
- Overall
Overall
92.7 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.8 RPP
What this shows Corpus Christi's strongest departure is services at 81.0; rents follows at 84.9. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Corpus Christi's cost comes from
Metros near Corpus Christi's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 84.9
- Utica: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 66.1
- Wausau: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 71.5
- Dayton: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 72.7
- Champaign: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 71.6
- Yuma: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 73.8
- Blacksburg: goods RPP 96.8, rents RPP 74.4
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.8
Below avg
Services
81.0
Cheap
Rents
84.9
Cheap
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Corpus Christi, TX's index of 92.7.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Corpus Christi'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.
Waco, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 81.0 · Rents 83.5 Iowa City, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 83.7 · Rents 84.0 San Angelo, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 81.6 · Rents 81.4 Grand Junction, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 83.3 · Rents 86.4 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 84.6 · Rents 84.7 Lincoln, NE
Goods 94.1 · Services 76.8 · Rents 84.2
TX-relative analysis
Goods prices places Corpus Christi, TX near the bottom of TX's metros
Among the 26 TX metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Corpus Christi, TX ranks #3 - the 4th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Corpus Christi, TX only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 26
4th percentile in TX
Services prices
#23 of 26
12th percentile in TX
Rent prices
#8 of 26
69th 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 Corpus Christi, 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 (92.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (84.9 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 →
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
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Corpus Christi
How to read Corpus Christi'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 $107,909 in Corpus Christi. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 81.0, 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 Corpus Christi 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 Corpus Christi, TX?
Corpus Christi, TX has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 92.7, meaning it is 7.3% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 81.0, and rents at 84.9. It ranks #224 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Corpus Christi, TX to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $92,671 in Corpus Christi, TX. Conversely, $100K earned in Corpus Christi, TX has the purchasing power of $107,909 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Corpus Christi, TX?
Rents in Corpus Christi, TX are indexed at 84.9, which is 15.1% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Corpus Christi, TX getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Corpus Christi, TX's overall cost index changed by -2.9 points (from 95.6 to 92.7). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Corpus Christi, TX?
The priciest category in Corpus Christi, TX is goods at 93.8, 6.2% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is services at 81.0, 19.0% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Corpus Christi, TX?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Utica-Rome, Wausau, Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Corpus Christi, TX's 92.7.
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.