College Station-Bryan cost of living
Prices in the College Station-Bryan, TX metro area run at 91.0 against a national average of 100, ranking it #269 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 75.1.
What drives the number
Prices in College Station-Bryan run at 91.0 where the national average is 100, so about 9 per cent below the country as a whole. It ranks #269 of 387 metro areas. Against Texas as a whole it is 6.1 points less expensive, which is the unusual direction, and it means the expensive part of the state is somewhere else.
Housing is unusually cheap relative to everything else here. Rents sit at 75.1 against goods at 93.8 and other services at 84.4, so the overall figure of 91.0 understates how affordable the housing itself is. It is the opposite of the usual pattern, where housing is what makes a place expensive. Goods at 93.8 are themselves 6.2 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
The number is most useful in reverse: a job here can pay less in cash and still leave a household better off, by roughly 9 per cent before anything else is considered.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in College Station-Bryan is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 4,470 | $24,400 | $26,813 | $30,480 |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,500 | $81,620 | $89,692 | $102,950 |
| Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary | 3,380 | $58,150 | $63,901 | $44,930 |
| Retail Salespersons | 3,110 | $28,100 | $30,879 | $34,580 |
| Registered Nurses | 2,660 | $79,270 | $87,110 | $93,600 |
| Cashiers | 2,600 | $27,160 | $29,846 | $31,190 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,470 | $35,870 | $39,418 | $42,830 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 2,410 | $28,170 | $30,956 | $33,760 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 91.0.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 103.1 | 117.9 | #48 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | 98.6 | 104.5 | #101 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | 98.1 | 120.4 | #112 |
| Midland | 95.8 | 101.5 | #150 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | 94.7 | 94.6 | #175 |
| Odessa | 93.9 | 89.7 | #184 |
College Station-Bryan: common questions
Is College Station-Bryan expensive?
Prices are 9% below the national average, a parity of 91.0 where the country is 100. It ranks #269 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Texas as a whole it is 6.1 points less expensive.
What salary do you need in College Station-Bryan?
The median worker there earns $43,010, which buys what $47,264 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 75.1 against goods at 93.8. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.