What salary do you need to live in Abilene, TX?

Rent, home values and prices in Abilene

Census figures put the median gross rent in the Abilene, TX metro at $889 for a one-bedroom, $1,117 for a two-bedroom and $1,419 for a three-bedroom. Moving from one to two bedrooms adds $228 a month, and the third bedroom another $302.

Homeowners in Abilene report a median home value of $178,700. That is only 2.7× the area's median household income of $67,328, a low ratio by national standards.

The Regional Price Parity, BEA's index of local prices with the US at 100, is 90.4 here. Below 100 means a paycheck stretches further: $100,000 in Abilene has the buying power of roughly $110,664 at national average prices.

How much you need to earn in Abilene

The salary lines for a two-bedroom household land at $24,000 for Tight, $51,000 for Okay and $102,000 for Comfortable. The gap between the Okay and Comfortable lines alone is $51,000, which says how much extra income it takes to make housing feel roomy here rather than merely workable.

The Royal grade is within reach at $322,000 a year, where both rent and the median home price look small next to income.

Nothing here is a separate rule of thumb; plug any of these incomes into the calculator with two bedrooms and Abilene shows the matching grade.

Abilene at four common salaries

On $75,000, a one-bedroom scores 60 and a three-bedroom 53, both Okay; the extra bedrooms cost points but not a grade.

The two-bedroom column turns Comfortable at the $150,000 row. One row up, $100,000 scores 65.

Abilene on the national list

Ranked against all 387 metros, Abilene sits 282nd on overall price level and 201st on the two-bedroom rent median, counting from the most expensive. Its median home value ranks 337th.

For a sense of scale, the metros just above and below it on two-bedroom rent are Monroe, MI ($1,118) and Clarksville, TN-KY ($1,116).

Abilene in a Texas context

How Abilene stacks up against its state: $1,117 for a two-bedroom against Texas's $1,395, $178,700 for the median home against $283,800, and a price level of 90.4 against 97.1.

The Texas figure for the Comfortable line, using state medians, is $166,000 against $102,000 for Abilene.

The nearest matches in Texas, judged on rent and price parity together, are Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Lubbock, TX, and College Station-Bryan, TX.

Does the typical Abilene income clear the bar?

The median household in the metro earns $67,328 (ACS 2020-2024). Run through the calculator with two bedrooms, that scores 53, Okay. Put differently, Abilene's typical household is $34,672 below the $102,000 it takes to read Comfortable on two bedrooms. For Texas as a whole, the median household income of $78,476 scores 44 against statewide rents. A household figure may pool several earners, unlike a single salary.

Treat every number here as a pre-tax, public-data estimate rather than financial advice.