Waco, TX vs Cincinnati, OH
Moving from Waco to Cincinnati? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($256,772 → $311,270 median home) and taxes.
Waco vs Cincinnati at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Waco, TX, you'd need about $103,389 in Cincinnati, OH (+$3,389).
Livability — Waco, TX: 73 · Cincinnati, OH: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,088 sqft in Waco vs 2,651 sqft in Cincinnati ($122 vs $189 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Waco, TX | Cincinnati, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,848 | $18,900 | +$2,052 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $4,718 | +$71 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,025 | −$650 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $2,100 | +$264 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,300 | −$2,300 |
| Taxes | $5,779 | $8,820 | +$3,041 |
| Total | $36,385 | $38,863 | +$2,478 |
Side by side
| Metric | Waco, TX | Cincinnati, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.1 | 94.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.56% | 4.37% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 4.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.36 |
| Median home price | $256,772 | $311,270 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.8% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $122 | $189 |
| Median rent | $1,404 | $1,575 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.53% | 1.26% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Natural gas / mo | $52 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $134 | $104 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 36.4 | 45.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 1.0 | 23.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 64% | 50% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |