Texas › Methodology
How we check every number.
Sourced, dated, and re-checked every month.
Cost-of-living sites tend to repeat each other’s numbers long after they go stale. We work the other way: every figure on this site links to where it came from and carries the date it applies to. If we cannot source a number, we leave the cell blank and say so.
Numbers last checked October 31, 2026Our rules
- Link every figure. Each number links to the page, report or PDF it came from.
- Date every figure. We show the period the number describes (for example “Sep 2026” or “2024 data”), not the day we looked it up.
- Primary sources first. We prefer the agency that produces a number: the Texas Comptroller, Texas Department of Insurance, DPS, TxDMV, BEA, BLS, the Census Bureau, and city and county governments. When we use a news report, broker, retailer or marketplace, the source column names it.
- Medians are not averages. Apartment List reports medians on new leases. RentCafe reports averages for large professionally managed buildings, which run $250 to $400 higher in the same city. We label which is which and do not mix them in one comparison.
- City, metro or county? Home prices and incomes are often only published for a metro or county. When we use one, we say so.
- No invented estimates. If a figure is our own arithmetic (for example, multiplying a per-kWh rate by typical usage), we label it as our calculation.
Main sources
| Topic | Source | Latest we use | Next update |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price level by metro | BEA Regional Price Parities (via FRED) | 2024 data, released Feb 19, 2026 | Dec 10, 2026 |
| Rent | Apartment List rent reports; RentCafe (Yardi Matrix) | Nov 2026 reports (Oct data); Sep 30, 2026 | Monthly |
| Home prices | HAR, SABOR, Unlock MLS, Texas REALTORS / TAMU quarterly report | Aug to Sep 2026 (metros); Q1 2026 (statewide and smaller metros) | Monthly / quarterly |
| Sales tax | Texas Comptroller | Checked Oct 31, 2026 | Monthly check |
| Property tax rates | City and county notices (e.g. Dallas County, City of San Antonio) | 2026 tax year where adopted | Each fall, after adoption |
| Home insurance | Texas Department of Insurance | 2025 average (preliminary) | When TDI updates |
| Car insurance | Experian marketplace data | Sep 2026 | Monthly check |
| Vehicle rules | Texas DPS, TxDMV | Rules in effect since Jan 1, 2025 | When rules change |
| Wages | BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (e.g. Houston) | May 2025 data, released Aug 13, 2026 | Annually |
| Inflation | BLS CPI for DFW and Houston | Sep 2026 (DFW); Aug 2026 (Houston) | Houston Nov 10, 2026; DFW Dec 10, 2026 |
| Jobs | Texas Workforce Commission | Sep 2026 | Mid-Nov 2026 |
| Living wage | MIT Living Wage Calculator | Updated Feb 15, 2026 | Annually |
| Income | Census American Community Survey (via Census Reporter, city and agency pages) | 2024 | Moving to 2025 data |
| Health insurance | KFF, Texas Tribune | 2026 plan year | When 2027 premiums post |
Update schedule
- Monthly: every rent figure, every city page, and the “last checked” date at the top of each page.
- When a big release lands: BEA price levels (next Dec 10, 2026), BLS CPI and jobs reports, and the annual BLS wage data.
- Each fall: property tax rates, once cities, counties and school districts adopt them. Pending items we are watching right now include the Dallas County tax rate election on Nov 3, 2026 and the CapMetro fare increase on Jan 10, 2027.
- Right away: when a law or rule changes (for example, the 2025 homestead and vehicle-inspection changes).
Every page shows a “Numbers last checked” date. A full change log will live on our Updates page.
Found a wrong number?
Tell us. Send the page, the figure, and a link to a newer or better source (a contact page is coming soon), and we will check it and credit you in the change log. If you want to use our numbers, please cite the original source we link to, plus this site.