Overall
95.8
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Midland, TX
Cost-of-living indicators for Midland, TX, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 95.8
- Overall RPP
- #150
- of 387 metros
- 101.5
- Rents RPP
- $104K
- $100K national buys
Midland ranks #150 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Syracuse
The verdict
Midland costs less than 39% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 95.8, 4.2% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 83.2.
- bottom 61%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.8
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 83.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $104,403 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $95,783.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$95,783
in Midland, TX purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,892
$75,000 nationally
$71,837
$125,000 nationally
$119,729
$150,000 nationally
$143,675
$200,000 nationally
$191,566
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
23/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
23rd 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 0.7 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2020, when the index dropped 4.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Midland overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 96.5 |
| 2009 | 96.2 |
| 2010 | 98.6 |
| 2011 | 101.1 |
| 2012 | 100.3 |
| 2013 | 101.5 |
| 2014 | 103.2 |
| 2015 | 104.3 |
| 2016 | 102.6 |
| 2017 | 100.6 |
| 2018 | 99.8 |
| 2019 | 100.5 |
| 2020 | 95.8 |
| 2021 | 97.7 |
| 2022 | 95.9 |
| 2023 | 95.4 |
| 2024 | 95.8 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Midland's overall RPP rose +0.4 points, from 95.4 in 2023 to 95.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 89.5 to 83.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Service-cost relief profile
How Midland's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Midland: their index is 83.2, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 95.8 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC, Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT. They resemble Midland 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, Midland's overall index has stayed within 0.7 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.
Midland vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
96 Top 39% higher than 61% 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
Midland cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
101.5 RPP
- Services
Services
83.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
95.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.8 RPP
What this shows Midland's strongest departure is services at 83.2; goods follows at 93.8. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Midland's cost comes from
Metros near Midland's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Midland (Midland, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 101.5
- Syracuse: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 80.7
- Buffalo: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 81
- Indianapolis: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 88.9
- Helena: goods RPP 96, rents RPP 90.1
- Logan: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 91
- Salisbury: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 87.2
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.8
Below avg
Services
83.2
Cheap
Rents
101.5
Above avg
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Midland, TX's index of 95.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Midland'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.
Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.3 · Rents 101.6 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.1 · Rents 101.2 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
Goods 96.4 · Services 78.6 · Rents 104.1 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 88.5 · Rents 98.8 Raleigh-Cary, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 89.0 · Rents 103.5 Madison, WI
Goods 93.8 · Services 89.8 · Rents 99.7
TX-relative analysis
Goods prices places Midland, TX near the bottom of TX's metros
Among the 26 TX metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Midland, TX ranks #3 - the 4th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Midland, TX only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 26
4th percentile in TX
Services prices
#9 of 26
65th percentile in TX
Rent prices
#4 of 26
85th 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 Midland, 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 (95.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (101.5 here).
Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL Rents 101.6 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Rents 101.2 Carson City, NV Rents 101.2 Albany, OR Rents 101.1 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Rents 102.6 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Rents 99.8 Madison, WI Rents 99.7 Raleigh-Cary, NC Rents 103.5
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 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 94.7 Odessa, TX 93.9 Sherman-Denison, TX 93.8
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.
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Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Midland
How to read Midland'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 $104,403 in Midland. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 83.2, 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 Midland 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 Midland, TX?
Midland, TX has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 95.8, meaning it is 4.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 83.2, and rents at 101.5. It ranks #150 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Midland, TX to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $95,783 in Midland, TX. Conversely, $100K earned in Midland, TX has the purchasing power of $104,403 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Midland, TX?
Rents in Midland, TX are indexed at 101.5, which is 1.5% above the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Midland, TX getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Midland, TX's overall cost index changed by -0.7 points (from 96.5 to 95.8). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Midland, TX?
The priciest category in Midland, TX is rents at 101.5, 1.5% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 83.2, 16.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Midland, TX?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Syracuse, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Midland, TX's 95.8.
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.