Waco vs Yakima
Metro-area medians — Waco, TX Metro Area vs Yakima, WA Metro Area — not the cities proper.
Waco comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 10 clearly-decided measures.
Waco is about 3% cheaper to live in, while Yakima households earn about 11% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Yakima.
Their widest everyday difference: Waco has the tighter job market — 3% unemployment versus 7.8%.
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, Waco leaves you about $2,077/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.
Choose Waco for
- + Livability (CityLedger)
- + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
- + Median home value
- + Unemployment
- + Bachelor's degree or higher
- + Average commute
Choose Yakima for
- + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
- + Median household income
- + Median rent
- + Air quality (median AQI)
More comparisons
Metros closest to Waco and Yakima on cost, income, size, and education.
Waco vs Yakima — frequently asked
- Is Waco cheaper than Yakima?
- Waco is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 3% below Yakima's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Which has higher household income, Waco or Yakima?
- Yakima has the higher median household income — $75,399 versus $67,792 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 11% more.
- Does a paycheck go further in Waco or Yakima?
- A paycheck stretches further in Yakima. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,915 there versus $73,249 in Waco.
- Which has cheaper rent, Waco or Yakima?
- Yakima has cheaper rent — a median of $1,106/mo versus $1,238/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).