Midland cost of living
Prices in the Midland, TX metro area run at 95.8 against a national average of 100, ranking it #150 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 101.5.
What drives the number
Prices in Midland run at 95.8 where the national average is 100, so about 4.2 per cent below the country as a whole. It ranks #150 of 387 metro areas. Against Texas as a whole it is 1.3 points less expensive, which is the unusual direction, and it means the expensive part of the state is somewhere else.
The parts move together here rather than pulling against each other: goods at 93.8, rents at 101.5, other services at 83.2. When the components agree, the headline number is a fair summary of the whole cost of living rather than a proxy for rent. 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 4.2 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 Midland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 4,830 | $126,310 | $131,848 | $102,950 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 4,680 | $57,730 | $60,261 | $57,440 |
| Roustabouts, Oil and Gas | 3,650 | $48,170 | $50,282 | $47,510 |
| Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas | 3,250 | $51,740 | $54,008 | $57,980 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 2,840 | $80,530 | $84,061 | $78,690 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,820 | $28,330 | $29,572 | $30,480 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 2,420 | $60,680 | $63,340 | $63,760 |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,250 | $31,620 | $33,006 | $34,580 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 95.8.
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 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | 94.7 | 94.6 | #175 |
| Odessa | 93.9 | 89.7 | #184 |
| Sherman-Denison | 93.8 | 89.5 | #187 |
Midland: common questions
Is Midland expensive?
Prices are 4.2% below the national average, a parity of 95.8 where the country is 100. It ranks #150 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Texas as a whole it is 1.3 points less expensive.
What salary do you need in Midland?
The median worker there earns $52,320, which buys what $54,614 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 101.5 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.