City profile
El Paso, TX cost of living
TX · BEA RPP 89.912
2024 overall RPP
89.912
US = 100
2024 housing-rent RPP
71.248
Housing component
2024 goods RPP
93.757
Goods component
2-BR FMR (HUD)
$1,146/mo
FY2027 FMR
Where El Paso, TX sits in the verified metro set
RPP rank
#66 of 67
-10.1 vs U.S. average
Vs median metro
-9.6
median RPP 99.5
2-BR rent rank
#67 of 67
-543/mo vs median verified metro
RPP ranks use only verified ReloMath metro records. Sources: BEA MARPP 2024 (all items, housing, goods, other services); HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent; reviewed 2026-10-04. These are historical area benchmarks, not current neighborhood prices. HUD FMR is a 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmark, not median rent. BEA metro and HUD rent-area boundaries can differ. BEA: El Paso, TX (Metropolitan Statistical Area) (code 21340). HUD: El Paso, TX HUD Metro FMR Area (code METRO21340M21340); counties or county equivalents: El Paso County. The official files were retrieved 2026-10-04.
Who’s moving in and out of El Paso, TX
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023Cost of living is only half the relocation question. The other half is which way people are actually voting with their feet, straight from IRS tax-return migration for the El Paso, TX metro.
Moved in
19,722
people · 9,839 households
Moved out
22,963
people · 11,708 households
Net
−3,241
net loss of residents
Net migration rank
#44 of 65
among IRS-covered ReloMath metros
Vs median net flow
-3,612
median +371 people
Largest flow share
10% in / 10% out
top named county shares
Where new residents came from
- Doña Ana County, NM 2,001
- Bexar County, TX 913
- Maricopa County, AZ 732
- Los Angeles County, CA 617
- El Paso County, CO 547
Where residents moved to
- Doña Ana County, NM 2,330
- Bexar County, TX 1,277
- Maricopa County, AZ 905
- Tarrant County, TX 697
- Harris County, TX 662
Counts are IRS tax filers (returns ≈ households, individuals ≈ exemptions) who changed address between 2022-2023. Flows too small for IRS to disclose are grouped and excluded from the named lists. Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration data ↗, mapped to metros via the U.S. Census CBSA delineation.
What salary do you need in El Paso, TX?
Historical BEA 2024 salary illustration relative to the U.S. average (RPP 100), before tax and household adjustments. Housing is already included in overall RPP.
| In US-average city | You need in El Paso, TX | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $44,956 | $50,000 x (89.912/100) |
| $75,000 | $67,434 | $75,000 x (89.912/100) |
| $100,000 | $89,912 | $100,000 x (89.912/100) |
| $125,000 | $112,390 | $125,000 x (89.912/100) |
| $150,000 | $134,868 | $150,000 x (89.912/100) |
| $200,000 | $179,824 | $200,000 x (89.912/100) |
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
The historical salary illustration is separate from moving payments. Use an actual mover quote and lease terms in your budget summary.
State income tax note
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Obtain take-home estimates for your actual work and home addresses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in El Paso, TX?
- In the historical BEA 2024 benchmark, El Paso, TX has an overall Regional Price Parity of 89.912 (US average = 100). Its overall price level is 10.1% lower than the national average for that year.
- What salary do I need to live in El Paso, TX?
- If you earn $100,000 in a US-average city (RPP 100), the BEA 2024 RPP illustration is approximately $89,912 in El Paso, TX, before tax and household adjustments.
- What historical rent benchmark is shown for El Paso, TX?
- The historical HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom associated with El Paso, TX is $1,146 per month as of FY2027.
- Are people moving to or away from El Paso, TX?
- Based on IRS tax-return migration data for 2022-2023, about 19,722 people moved into the El Paso, TX metro and 22,963 moved out — a net loss of roughly 3,241 residents. The largest single source of new residents was Doña Ana County, NM.
Curated nearby & similar cities
Similar verified metros by RPP
These links are chosen by data proximity: closest overall RPP to El Paso, TX, with HUD 2-BR rent as a tie-breaker.
Curated cost-of-living comparisons for El Paso, TX
Side-by-side cost of living and the equivalent salary you'd need — pick a destination.
Check published data changes
Review dated source notices for tracked metros alongside El Paso, TX's historical benchmarks. Change-log entries do not automatically refresh the BEA 2024 or HUD FY2027 values shown here.
View cost-of-living change log