Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Midland's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Midland?
Your $100,000 in Midland has the same purchasing power as $102,606 in the average US city. You'd need $2,606 less 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 Midland's cost index of 97, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Midland, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously no state income tax and paychecks come in above the us average, plus 4 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Texas is one of the handful of US states with no state income tax on wages, so the only income-tax bite on a paycheck in Midland is federal. For a household earning $100k, that's a tangible four-figure difference every year compared to a comparable salary in California or New York.
Median household income in Midland is $90,448, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
Unemployment in Midland is running about 3.2% — below the typical US baseline of around 4%. That usually translates to a job market where employers compete for workers more than the other way around, which is the better side of that equation to be on if you're the one moving.
Midland reports about 2,424 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Midland's air quality index averages about 42 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Midland is about 20 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Midland'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.
Yes, several times a winter. Midland's winter average of about 29°F sits right around freezing, so storms typically drop real snow that lingers a few days before slush sets in.
Cold but workable. Winter in Midland averages about 29°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Genuinely hot. Summer in Midland averages about 92°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.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 8. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 8 or colder should survive a typical winter in Midland. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Midland sits at about 2,818 feet (859 m) — meaningfully higher than coastal cities, but not high enough to noticeably affect breathing or cooking.
Average for an American city. Midland's reported crime rate of about 2,424 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Roughly average. Midland's cost-of-living index is 97, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Mostly car-dependent. Midland's Walk Score of 43/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest.
Roughly $68,222 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 Midland runs about $1,400/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.