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Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP

San Angelo, TX

Cost-of-living indicators for San Angelo, TX, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.

92.5
Overall RPP
#233
of 387 metros
81.4
Rents RPP
$108K
$100K national buys

San Angelo ranks #233 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.

  • stable since 2008
  • similar cost to Sebring

The verdict

San Angelo costs less than 60% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 92.5, 7.5% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 81.4.

bottom 40%
by overall cost, nationwide
93.8
goods RPP, tradable items
81.6
services RPP, labor-priced

A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $108,163 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $92,453.

Salary Equivalent

A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:

$92,453

in San Angelo, TX purchasing power

$50,000 nationally
$46,227
$75,000 nationally
$69,340
$125,000 nationally
$115,566
$150,000 nationally
$138,680
$200,000 nationally
$184,906

Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.

Affordability score

D
45/100

How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost

Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
45th 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 2021, when the index dropped 3.4 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.

San Angelo overall RPP, 2008-2024

Every year on record, national average = 100

Stable
9092949698100 20082024 91.6 92.5 ▲ +1.0%
Year Overall
2008 91.6
2009 93.3
2010 93.2
2011 94.0
2012 96.1
2013 95.4
2014 96.8
2015 97.5
2016 96.4
2017 95.2
2018 94.2
2019 93.8
2020 95.1
2021 91.7
2022 92.6
2023 91.5
2024 92.5

Latest BEA release change

What changed from 2023 to 2024

San Angelo's overall RPP rose +1.0 points, from 91.5 in 2023 to 92.5 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 89.1 to 81.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.

Housing-led affordability profile

How San Angelo's cost structure works

Housing is the strongest affordability offset in San Angelo: rents index at 81.4, 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 92.5.

Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Tyler, TX, Waco, TX, Iowa City, IA. They resemble San Angelo 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, San Angelo'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.

San Angelo vs every U.S. metro

Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution

93 Bottom 40% higher than 40% of 387 US metros

80–84: 3 US metros (1%). Below this entry. 84–88: 48 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 88–92: 94 US metros (24%). Below this entry. 92–96: 97 US metros (25%). This entry sits in this band. 96–100: 55 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 100–104: 54 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 104–108: 17 US metros (4%). Above this entry. 108–112: 14 US metros (4%). Above this entry. 112–116: 5 US metros (1%). Above this entry. 116–120: 0 US metros (0%). Above this entry. This metro 80 120 every US metro, bucketed by value

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

San Angelo cost breakdown

BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average

RPP

What this shows San Angelo's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 81.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 81.6. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.

Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities As of 2024

Goods vs. housing, where San Angelo's cost comes from

Metros near San Angelo's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.

Crosshairs sit at the group median (goods 93.8, rents 74.2). San Angelo is more housing-led than its peers, its rents run higher than its goods. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 7 entities by Goods RPP (tradable items) → (X) and Rents RPP (housing) → (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Pricier on bothMore housing-ledMore goods-ledCheaper on both 9394959697 7075808590 Goods RPP (tradable items) → Rents RPP (housing) → San AngeloSebringAppletonMuskegonNilesKansas CityWaco
Crosshairs sit at the group median (goods 93.8, rents 74.2). San Angelo is more housing-led than its peers, its rents run higher than its goods. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Read the chart as text
  • San Angelo (San Angelo, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 81.4
  • Sebring: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 73.5
  • Appleton: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 70.8
  • Muskegon: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 74.2
  • Niles: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 71.6
  • Kansas City: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 86.6
  • Waco: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 83.5

Price Index Summary

Overall

92.5

Below avg

Goods

93.8

Below avg

Services

81.6

Cheap

Rents

81.4

Cheap

Metros with Similar Cost of Living

These metros have an overall RPP closest to San Angelo, TX's index of 92.5.

Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.

Decision peers

Metros with a similar cost mix

These metros are closest to San Angelo'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.

TX-relative analysis

Goods prices places San Angelo, TX near the bottom of TX's metros

Among the 26 TX metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, San Angelo, TX ranks #3 - the 4th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares San Angelo, TX only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.

Goods prices
#3 of 26
4th percentile in TX
Services prices
#18 of 26
31st percentile in TX
Rent prices
#10 of 26
62nd 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 San Angelo, TX: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.

Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.

Shareable PlainCost cost snapshot for San Angelo cost of living snapshot

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What this means for San Angelo

How to read San Angelo'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 $108,163 in San Angelo. Salary calculator
  • Start with rents: it indexes at 81.4, 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 San Angelo 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 San Angelo, TX?

San Angelo, TX has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 92.5, meaning it is 7.5% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 81.6, and rents at 81.4. It ranks #233 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.

What salary do I need in San Angelo, TX to match $100K nationally?

To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $92,453 in San Angelo, TX. Conversely, $100K earned in San Angelo, TX has the purchasing power of $108,163 at the national average.

How expensive is rent in San Angelo, TX?

Rents in San Angelo, TX are indexed at 81.4, which is 18.6% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.

Is San Angelo, TX getting more expensive?

From 2008 to 2024, San Angelo, TX's overall cost index changed by +0.9 points (from 91.6 to 92.5). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.

What costs the most in San Angelo, TX?

The priciest category in San Angelo, 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 81.4, 18.6% below average.

What metros have a similar cost of living to San Angelo, TX?

Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Sebring, Appleton, Muskegon-Norton Shores. These areas have RPP values within a few points of San Angelo, TX's 92.5.

Data sourced from official public datasets, Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Statistical Area (2024), index where national average = 100. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCost. See our methodology for details.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

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.