Best cities for pay after cost of living in Texas
Key facts
- #1 Austin, TX: $166k
- #2 Addison, TX: $155k
- #3 Irving, TX: $137k
- 8 cities ranked in Texas
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $132k across the typical city in our data.
- 1Austin TX$166k
- 2Addison TX$155k
- 3Irving TX$137k
- 4Dallas TX$131k
- 5Plano TX$124k
- 6Houston TX$119k
- 7San Antonio TX$116k
- 8Fort Worth TX$112k
What stands out
- Plano reaches #5 on a sample of 62 openings with pay posted, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Austin is the largest market in the top ten, with 997 openings with pay posted behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 100 openings with pay posted are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
The top 25
- 1
Austin TX
$166k
- Median posted pay
- $163k
- Local prices vs US average
- −2%
- Openings with pay posted
- 997
Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare
Based on 997 openings with pay posted.
- 2
Addison TX
$155k
- Median posted pay
- $150k
- State prices vs US average
- −3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 77
Hiring most here: National Life Group, National Life Insurance Company, Bank of America
Based on 77 openings with pay posted.
- 3
Irving TX
$137k
- Median posted pay
- $133k
- State prices vs US average
- −3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 89
Hiring most here: CHRISTUS Health, 7-Eleven, Mckesson
Based on 89 openings with pay posted.
- 4
Dallas TX
$131k
- Median posted pay
- $135k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 593
Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments
Based on 593 openings with pay posted.
- 5
Plano TX
$124k
- Median posted pay
- $120k
- State prices vs US average
- −3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 62
Hiring most here: NTT Data, Pepsico, JPMorgan Chase
Based on 62 openings with pay posted.
- 6
Houston TX
$119k
- Median posted pay
- $118k
- Local prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 366
Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Trinzic, Fervo Energy
Based on 366 openings with pay posted.
- 7
San Antonio TX
$116k
- Median posted pay
- $110k
- Local prices vs US average
- −5%
- Openings with pay posted
- 113
Hiring most here: H-E-B, University Health San Antonio, UT Health San Antonio
Based on 113 openings with pay posted.
- 8
Fort Worth TX
$112k
- Median posted pay
- $115k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 138
Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, MP Materials, Alcon
Based on 138 openings with pay posted.
Full ranking
All 8 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin TX | $166k | 997 |
| 2 | Addison TX | $155k | 77 |
| 3 | Irving TX | $137k | 89 |
| 4 | Dallas TX | $131k | 593 |
| 5 | Plano TX | $124k | 62 |
| 6 | Houston TX | $119k | 366 |
| 7 | San Antonio TX | $116k | 113 |
| 8 | Fort Worth TX | $112k | 138 |
How this ranking works
The score is a city's median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 50 listings that post a salary are ranked.
A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings with pay posted are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: posted annual salary ranges; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024 (metro areas and states). Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which city ranks first: best cities for pay after cost of living in texas?
- Austin leads Texas for pay after the cost of living: its median posted salary buys what $166k buys at average US prices.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 8 cities have at least 100 openings with pay posted, so the list has 8 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- The score is a city's median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 50 listings that post a salary are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
- Best cities for junior jobs in Texas
- Best cities for pay after cost of living
- Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Northeast
- Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Mid-Atlantic
- Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Southeast
- Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Southwest
- Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Midwest
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best cities for pay after cost of living in Texas,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-pay-vs-cost-of-living-in-texas
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-pay-vs-cost-of-living-in-texas">Best cities for pay after cost of living in Texas (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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