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    Raking It In

    Here's where Texans have the highest incomes and lowest cost of living

    Lindsey Wilson
    Sep 16, 2020 | 9:32 am
    money hundred dollar bills
    High income + low cost of living = extra cash.
    hynci/Getty Images

    Think you have a high income? That's relative, as a place's cost of living can eat away at even the highest salary (consider New York or San Francisco). Financial website SmartAsset recently dug into the data for Texas counties, determining which land in that sweet spot of affordable cost of living and healthy median income.

    To do this, the site calculated two different cost of living metrics for a household with one adult and no dependents. One reflected the baseline cost of living in each location, and the other was based on expenditures typical to someone making the county's median income.

    Then those two numbers were combined using a weighted average based on how close each county's median income was to the minimum livable income in that area. At that point, income taxes paid in the area were subtracted.

    Finally, SmartAsset calculated purchasing power by determining the weighted cost of living as a percentage of median income. The top locations were those with the highest median income relative to the cost of living.

    And highest in Texas is — drumroll, please — Fort Bend, slightly southwest of Houston and home of Sugar Land. It barely squeaks out the No. 1 spot with an index of 67.42, derived from a $44,752 cost of living and $93,645 median income.

    Coming in hot with an index of 67.08 is Rockwall, a suburb about 20 miles northeast of Dallas that sits on the shores of Lake Ray Hubbard. There, a $93,269 median income easily finances a $44,539 cost of living.

    Two more Dallas-adjacent counties are also on the list, with Collin (home of Plano) third and Denton (where the University of North Texas is based) fifth. The former enjoys a $44,111 cost of living on a median $90,124 salary, while the latter earns a median $80,290 a year and lives on $42,487.

    One Austin neighbor shows up in the top 10: Williamson County, home to Round Rock and Georgetown, appears at No. 7. The $43,574 cost of living is easily obtainable on a median $79,123 salary.

    The Hill Country county of Kendall, which sits southwest of Austin and north of San Antonio, ranks fourth with a $81,023 median salary and $42,969 yearly cost of living.

    Brazoria, near the reservoir of the same name and on the banks of the Brazos River, is ninth with a $42,792 cost of living and $76,426 median salary.

    West Texas is home to three counties on this list, with Roberts (near Amarillo) at No. 6; Borden County, south of Lubbock, at No. 8, and Midland at No. 10 with an index of 51.26.

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    news/city-life

    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Dallas suburb surprises as millennial magnet and more popular stories

    CultureMap Staff
    Feb 28, 2026 | 10:00 am
    Irving
    Photo by Daniel Jerez on Unsplash
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    Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week includes reports on where millennials are moving and how much it takes to be a middle class earner in DFW. Plus, Taylor Sheridan spins off a new show set in a buzzy Dallas suburb. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit our guide to the best weekend events.

    1. Dallas neighbor surprises as a booming millennial hotspot in 2026. A surprising Dallas neighbor ranks as the No. 21 most popular U.S. city for millennials right now.

    2. This is the income it takes to be middle class in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2026. A new study tracking the thresholds for middle class households has revealed Dallasites have to make at least a few grand more than last year to maintain their middle class status.

    3. H-E-B to open 2 new stores in Garland, including Joe V's Smart Shop. Texas grocery chain H-E-B is expanding into the Dallas suburb of Garland, with not one but two stores in the works.

    4. New I-35 deck park in southern Dallas moves closer to spring 2026 debut. A massive deck park spanning Interstate 35E in southern Dallas is set to open in late spring 2026. Called Halperin Park, the five-acre community space has been under construction since 2017 and will be completed in two phases.

    Halperin Park Renderings for Halperin Park. Courtesy rendering

    5. Taylor Sheridan sets new 'Frisco King' series in buzzy Dallas suburb. A forthcoming spinoff of the Paramount+ series Tulsa King is relocating from the Big Easy to the Dallas suburbs, with a new name to boot. Frisco King — will take place primarily in Frisco, Texas.

    most popular storiesirvingrankingsmiddle class statusmillennialshebtaylor sheridanhot-headlines
    news/city-life

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