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Cost of Living Comparison for Temple, TX
Local data pre-filled
Temple's cost of living index is 86 — 14% cheaper than the national average. This factors in housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare. Use this calculator to see how your purchasing power would change if you moved to another city.
✓ Calculator below is pre-filled with Temple local data
Data as of · Sources: Zillow, Census ACS, Tax Foundation, Freddie Mac
Texas Financial Snapshot (2026) — Cost of Living Comparison
Cost-of-living index and median income anchor the budget math for the cost of living comparison in Texas.
How the Cost of Living Comparison Math Works Under Texas Law
Your cost of living comparison in Texas is driven by the BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) — a purchasing-power index where US = 100. The all-items RPP tells you how far a dollar goes statewide vs the national average; housing-only RPP isolates the rent/mortgage side, which is the single biggest budget line for most households[1].
When the all-items RPP is above 100, the same expense basket costs more to maintain in Texas. The 50/30/20 rule (needs/wants/savings) bends toward needs in high-RPP states and toward savings in low-RPP states.
Calc-specific note: COL index normalises everything to US = 100. Housing RPP + all-items RPP are the two dimensions that move together.
Worked example — Texas
Texas's BEA all-items RPP measures how far a dollar goes vs US = 100. $100 of mainstream-basket spending in Texas costs $(RPP) in the US average. Housing RPP is usually the biggest swing component — run the housing tile separately when comparing metros.
Local context: Temple, TX
Housing economics in Temple, TX. The median home value runs 37.2% below the U.S. baseline for Temple, TX is $225,000 per Zillow's home-value index. Median rent runs $1,050 a month per Zillow ZORI, cheaper than the national $1,850 baseline. Effective property tax sits at 2.10% of assessed value, meaningfully higher than the 0.99% national average tracked by the Tax Foundation.
Income and tax climate. Texas's top marginal state income tax bracket lands at 0.00% — one of nine states that levies no broad-based income tax, shifting the revenue burden onto sales, property, and severance levies. BEA's Regional Price Parity scores Temple, TX at 86.0 (national = 100), meaning a dollar in Temple, TX buys 116¢ — more goods and services than the same dollar nationally.
Local context as of 2026-04-19.
Temple versus the U.S. baseline
| Metric | Temple, TX | U.S. baseline | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value[zillow] | $225,000 | $358,000 | -37.2% |
| Median monthly rent[zillow] | $1,050 | $1,850 | -43.2% |
| Property tax (effective)[tax-foundation] | 2.10% | 0.99% | 112.1% |
| State top marginal income tax[tax-foundation] | None | ~4.08% (volume-weighted) | −4.08 pp |
| State cost-of-living index[bea-rpp] | 86.0 | 100.0 | -14.0 pts |
How to use the Cost of Living Comparison
Walk through using the Cost of Living Comparison with Temple, TX-specific defaults pre-loaded from primary sources.
- Enter your Temple numbersFill in the cost of living comparison inputs. Defaults reflect Temple, TX 2026: median home $225,000, median rent $1,050/mo, 2.10% effective property tax.
- Apply the local 2026 inputsThe median home value in Temple is $225,000 (Zillow ZHVI), with median monthly rent running $1,050/mo.
- Compare against Temple contextMonthly PITI on the $225,000 median home in Temple is ~$2,001/mo — vs a $1,050/mo median rent.
How Texas Compares to Neighboring States
| State | Median home | Top inc tax | Prop tax rate | RPP (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (this page) | $295,000 | None | 1.80% | 97.1 |
| Arkansas | $198,000 | 3.90% | 0.64% | 86.8 |
| see Louisiana | $215,000 | 3.00% | 0.55% | 88.7 |
| New Mexico | $305,000 | 5.90% | 0.80% | 91.0 |
| Oklahoma side-by-side | $205,000 | 4.75% | 0.90% | 88.7 |
Sources: Zillow ZHVI[1], state Departments of Revenue / Tax Foundation[2], Tax Foundation property taxes[3], BEA Regional Price Parities[4].
What Changes Your Result in Texas
- Texas cost-of-living drag:Line-item costs in Texas deviate from the US mean by whatever the BEA all-items RPP deviates from 100. Weight your budget toward the state average rather than the national average.
Related Calculations for Texas
- rent affordability costs in Texas — rent is the biggest COL line.
How Temple Compares to the National Average
Understanding how Temple stacks up helps you calibrate your financial planning.
| Metric | Temple, TX | US Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $225,000 | $420,800 | -46.5% |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,050 | $1,713 | -38.7% |
| Median Household Income | $52,200 | $74,580 | -30.0% |
| Property Tax Rate | 2.10% | 1.10% | +90.9% |
| Cost of Living Index | 86 | 100 | -14.0% |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, BLS, Zillow, NAR (2024–2025). Green = favorable for residents; red = less favorable.
Temple Financial Snapshot
- Population (Metro)
- 82,000
- Unemployment
- 3.7%
- Avg Commute
- 20 min
- Median Age
- 33.5
- Price-to-Rent Ratio
- 17.9x
- Annual Property Tax
- $4,725
More Financial Calculators for Temple, TX
Cost of Living Comparison in Other Texas Cities
Frequently Asked Questions — Temple
- Can median-income households afford the median home in Temple?
- With a ~$2,001 monthly PITI and $52,200 median income, housing would consume ~46.0% of gross annual income. Qualifying under the 28% DTI rule requires ~$85,757 in annual income. Educational reference only.
- Is it better to rent or buy in Temple?
- Temple's price-to-rent ratio (17.9x) is roughly neutral — in the 15-20x range the decision depends on time horizon and wealth goals.
- What is the annual property tax bill on the median home in Temple?
- Approximately $4,725/yr at the 2.10% effective rate on the $225,000 median home. The national average effective rate is 1.07%.
- What share of median income goes to rent in Temple?
- The $1,050/mo median rent represents 24.1% of the $52,200 median household income. The recommended housing cost threshold is 30%; Temple falls within that guideline. Educational reference only.
- How much does commuting cost in Temple?
- Average commute time in Temple is 20 minutes per ACS. Estimated annual commute cost runs about $3,484. Educational reference only.
- How does the cost of living in Temple compare to the national average?
- Temple's BEA RPP index is 86, 14% below the national baseline of 100. For a household earning the national median income of $77,540, this translates to ~$10,856/yr in purchasing power difference. Educational reference only.
- What is the median home price in Temple, TX?
- The median home price in Temple is $225,000 as of 2025–2026.
- What is the average rent in Temple?
- The median monthly rent in Temple, TX is $1,050.
- Does the cost of living comparison replace professional advice?
- No. This calculator gives educational estimates using public Temple data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for decisions with material consequences.
Texas State Context
Texas Real Estate Tips
Texas has no state income tax, but property taxes average 1.80% — among the highest nationally. On a $340K median home, that's ~$6,120/year.
Texas homestead exemption provides $100,000 off assessed value for school district taxes, saving homeowners $1,000+/year.
Texas does not allow home equity cash-out refinances to exceed 80% LTV — a unique state restriction that limits HELOC and cash-out options.
TDHCA (Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs) offers My First Texas Home with up to 5% in DPA.
Texas Homebuyer Programs
- ✓My First Texas Home — 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with up to 5% DPA as a deferred, forgivable second lien.
- ✓My Choice Texas Home — DPA for repeat buyers (not just first-time) at up to 5% of loan amount.
- ✓Texas Mortgage Credit Certificate — federal tax credit of up to $2,000/year on mortgage interest paid.
Statewide Texas figures apply broadly across Temple. County- and city-level variation can be significant — verify against local sources before closing a transaction. [3]
How we compute this — methodology
The Temple page uses local median home price ($225,000), median rent ($1,050/mo), and property tax rate (2.10%) alongside the calculator's client-side formula. Calculations run in your browser — no inputs are sent to a server.
Known limits: ZIP-level variance within Temple can be substantial — the figures shown are city-wide medians. For a precise property tax quote, consult your county assessor.
Sources
- Zillow Research — ZHVI (Zillow Home Value Index) + ZORI (Zillow Observed Rent Index), city-level. zillow.com/research/data. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income and population. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs.
- CalcFi state financial context — tips + first-time homebuyer programs compiled from each state's Housing Finance Authority (HFA) public pages. See
src/data/state-financial-context.ts. - Tax Foundation — state property tax effective rates and state/local sales tax rates. taxfoundation.org.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) — weekly national mortgage rate averages used by mortgage-related calculators. freddiemac.com/pmms.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities by State — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — residential electricity / natural gas / gasoline — www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) — weekly national mortgage rates — www.freddiemac.com/pmms. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- NAIC Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owners, and Homeowners Tenants Insurance Report — content.naic.org/article/homeowners-insurance-report. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- State Departments of Revenue — official bracket + deduction publications (one primary URL per state; linked in the brackets table below) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- U.S. Department of Labor — State Minimum Wage Laws — www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) — real median household income, unemployment, HPI, LFPR per state — fred.stlouisfed.org. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
Spot an error? Email [email protected] with the URL and the correct figure.
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