Is Bowling Green cheaper than Wichita Falls?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bowling Green and Wichita Falls metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Bowling Green or Wichita Falls?

Household incomes are similar — $65,869 in the Bowling Green metro versus $66,981 in Wichita Falls (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Bowling Green or Wichita Falls?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($73,043 versus $74,828).

Which has cheaper rent, Bowling Green or Wichita Falls?

Bowling Green has cheaper rent — a median of $1,024/mo versus $1,065/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Bowling Green vs Wichita Falls

Metro-area medians — Bowling Green, KY Metro Area vs Wichita Falls, TX Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Bowling Green and Wichita Falls are evenly matched, each taking 3 of the clearly-decided measures.

Bowling Green and Wichita Falls 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: the typical commute is shorter in Wichita Falls — about 15.9 min versus 21.4 min.

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.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Bowling Green, KY

$58,444

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$64,809

real value after local prices

Wichita Falls, TX

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$68,497

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Wichita Falls leaves you about $3,688/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.

Measure

Bowling Green

Wichita Falls

Livability (CityLedger)

41/100

44/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

90.2

89.5

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$73,043

$74,828

Median household income

$65,869

$66,981

Median rent

$1,024/mo

$1,065/mo

Median home value

$258,900

$177,000

Unemployment

4.3%

4.8%

Bachelor's degree or higher

27.1%

25.9%

Average commute

21.4 min

15.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

59°F

64°F

Choose Bowling Green for

+ Median rent
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Bowling Green profile →

Choose Wichita Falls for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median home value
+ Average commute

Full Wichita Falls profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Bowling Green and Wichita Falls on cost, income, size, and education.

Bowling Green vs Abilene→Bowling Green vs Valdosta→Bowling Green vs Las Cruces→Wichita Falls vs Waterloo→Wichita Falls vs Abilene→Wichita Falls vs Valdosta→

Bowling Green vs Wichita Falls — frequently asked

Is Bowling Green cheaper than Wichita Falls?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Bowling Green and Wichita Falls metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Bowling Green or Wichita Falls?: Household incomes are similar — $65,869 in the Bowling Green metro versus $66,981 in Wichita Falls (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Bowling Green or Wichita Falls?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($73,043 versus $74,828).
Which has cheaper rent, Bowling Green or Wichita Falls?: Bowling Green has cheaper rent — a median of $1,024/mo versus $1,065/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).