Waco, TX vs Cleveland, OH
Moving from Waco to Cleveland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($256,772 → $252,210 median home) and taxes.
Waco vs Cleveland 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 $100,291 in Cleveland, OH (+$291).
Livability — Waco, TX: 73 · Cleveland, OH: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,088 sqft in Waco vs 3,270 sqft in Cleveland ($122 vs $153 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Waco, TX | Cleveland, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,848 | $17,532 | +$684 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $4,830 | +$183 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,025 | −$650 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $2,100 | +$264 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,300 | −$2,300 |
| Taxes | $5,779 | $9,518 | +$3,739 |
| Total | $36,385 | $38,305 | +$1,920 |
Side by side
| Metric | Waco, TX | Cleveland, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.1 | 91.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.56% | 5.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 0.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.20 |
| Median home price | $256,772 | $252,210 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.8% | 4.3% |
| Price per square foot | $122 | $153 |
| Median rent | $1,404 | $1,461 |
| 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% | 1.84% |
| 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 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |