Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Mesquite's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Mesquite?
Your $100,000 in Mesquite has the same purchasing power as $93,879 in the average US city. You'd need $6,121 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Mesquite's cost index of 107, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Mesquite? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: texas doesn't tax your paycheck and walkable in a way most us cities aren't. The data behind each is below.
Living in Mesquite means no state income tax on your salary — Texas is one of nine states that simply doesn't have one. On a $100k income that's typically thousands of dollars a year that stay in your account instead of going to a state revenue department.
Mesquite earns a Walk Score of 55/100 — above the US median, with denser neighborhoods scoring higher than the citywide aggregate suggests. A car is still useful for longer trips, but everyday life works on foot for a lot of residents.
Reasons are pulled from Mesquite's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Now and then. Mesquite's winters are cool rather than truly cold — about 40°F on average — so most of the precipitation falls as rain. A snowy morning happens a few times a season; sustained accumulation is rare.
Mild on the cold side. Mesquite's winter average of about 40°F is the kind of weather where you want a jacket but the heating bill is manageable. Snow is rare, frost is occasional, and the lawn never really browns out.
Genuinely hot. Summer in Mesquite averages about 96°F, and peak afternoons run well over a hundred. Outdoor plans move to mornings and evenings; AC is the most-used appliance in the house.
Mesquite falls in roughly USDA Zone 9. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Mesquite is at about 505 feet (154 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Hurricane season covers June through November, with peak activity in late summer and early fall. For Mesquite, the practical advice is: have a few days of water and supplies on hand from August onward, know your evacuation route, and don't wait for the news to tell you a storm is "probably nothing" — track the cone yourself.
Higher than average. Mesquite reports about 4,122 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the US average of around 3,500. Citywide numbers are often dragged up by a few hotspots; specific neighborhoods can be very safe in cities that don't look great on paper, and vice versa.
Roughly average. Mesquite's cost-of-living index is 107, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Somewhat. Mesquite earns a Walk Score of 55/100 — many daily errands are doable on foot, especially in the denser neighborhoods, but a car still helps for longer trips.
Roughly $74,564 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Mesquite runs about $1,323/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.