Is College Station cheaper than Fargo?

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

Which has higher household income, College Station or Fargo?

Fargo has the higher median household income — $76,945 versus $61,983 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 24% more.

Does a paycheck go further in College Station or Fargo?

A paycheck stretches further in Fargo. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $84,675 there versus $68,150 in College Station.

Which has cheaper rent, College Station or Fargo?

Fargo has cheaper rent — a median of $997/mo versus $1,195/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

College Station vs Fargo

Metro-area medians — College Station-Bryan, TX Metro Area vs Fargo, ND-MN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Fargo comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

College Station and Fargo cost about the same to live in, but Fargo households earn about 24% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Fargo.

Their widest everyday difference: Fargo has the tighter job market — 1.9% unemployment versus 4.7%.

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

College Station, TX

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$67,414

real value after local prices

Fargo, ND

$61,103

take-home / yr · 19% to tax

$67,242

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, College Station leaves you about $172/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

College Station

Fargo

Livability (CityLedger)

44/100

72/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

91.0

90.9

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$68,150

$84,675

Median household income

$61,983

$76,945

Median rent

$1,195/mo

$997/mo

Median home value

$301,800

$300,200

Unemployment

4.7%

1.9%

Bachelor's degree or higher

42.5%

40.6%

Average commute

19.7 min

16.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

69°F

42°F

Choose College Station for

+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full College Station profile →

Choose Fargo for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median rent
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute

Full Fargo profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to College Station and Fargo on cost, income, size, and education.

College Station vs Champaign→College Station vs Lafayette→College Station vs Lincoln→Fargo vs Sioux Falls→Fargo vs Champaign→Fargo vs Lincoln→

College Station vs Fargo — frequently asked

Is College Station cheaper than Fargo?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the College Station and Fargo metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, College Station or Fargo?: Fargo has the higher median household income — $76,945 versus $61,983 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 24% more.
Does a paycheck go further in College Station or Fargo?: A paycheck stretches further in Fargo. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $84,675 there versus $68,150 in College Station.
Which has cheaper rent, College Station or Fargo?: Fargo has cheaper rent — a median of $997/mo versus $1,195/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).