Abilene vs Lubbock
Metro-area medians — Abilene, TX Metro Area vs Lubbock, TX Metro Area — not the cities proper.
Abilene and Lubbock are evenly matched, each taking 2 of the clearly-decided measures.
Abilene and Lubbock are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.
Their widest everyday difference: Abilene has the tighter job market — 3.2% unemployment versus 4.4%.
For your salary & household
Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.
On $75,000 for just you, Abilene leaves you about $708/yr better off after tax and local prices.
Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.
More comparisons
Metros closest to Abilene and Lubbock on cost, income, size, and education.
Abilene vs Lubbock — frequently asked
- Is Abilene cheaper than Lubbock?
- They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Abilene and Lubbock metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
- Which has higher household income, Abilene or Lubbock?
- Household incomes are similar — $63,390 in the Abilene metro versus $64,469 in Lubbock (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
- Does a paycheck go further in Abilene or Lubbock?
- It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($70,150 versus $70,599).
- Which has cheaper rent, Abilene or Lubbock?
- Abilene has cheaper rent — a median of $1,173/mo versus $1,207/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).