City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Dallas | San Marcos | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,305/mo | $1,251/mo | 4.3% higher in A |
| Median home value | $270,700 | $248,300 | 9.0% higher in A |
| Median household income | $63,985 | $47,394 | 35.0% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 99.1 | 95.2 | 4.1% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 85.9 | 85.9 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 95.9 | 97.5 | 1.7% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.7 | 95.8 | 4.1% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Dallas, you'd need $99,526 in San Marcos to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Dallas and San Marcos have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Dallas, you'd need about $79,621 in San Marcos to keep the same standard of living.