Cost of Living in Garland
Garland's cost of living reads as roughly at or slightly above the national average across most sources, driven less by housing (which runs below the national median) and more by above-average utility costs and, notably, above-average apartment rents. One specific index figure is flagged here as an apparent data-quality anomaly rather than treated as reliable.
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Learn moreDisclosed disagreement across cost-of-living indices, including a specific red flag
AreaVibes puts Garland's overall cost-of-living index at 99.5, essentially at the national average. ERI/SalaryExpert-derived figures disagreed with each other across different snapshots this session -- one citing Garland 5% below the national average (an index near 95), others citing 109-110 -- a real spread depending on methodology and update date. BestPlaces returned an overall index of 100.2 (0.2% above the U.S. average, 6.4% above the Texas average) -- but this exact 100.2 figure was also returned, digit-for-digit, for Richardson in this same search process, despite Richardson's home-price median running roughly 55-65% higher than Garland's. That precise match across two structurally different cities reads as a likely BestPlaces retrieval or data-caching artifact rather than a genuine coincidence, and is disclosed here rather than treated as reliable (BestPlaces/ERI/AreaVibes aggregation, retrieved 2026-08-22).
Housing costs run below the national average -- but rent runs notably above it
AreaVibes cites Garland's housing index as 4% below the national average, with a median home price around $290,000 (6.6% below the national median) and $165/sqft -- but monthly rent running 24.6% ABOVE typical national rates, a real and counterintuitive gap between ownership costs (cheap) and rental costs (comparatively pricey) worth flagging directly to movers weighing rent-vs-buy (AreaVibes, retrieved 2026-08-22).
Rent figures also disagree across sources
RentCafe cites an average apartment rent of $1,423/month as of February 2026 (down 0.54% YoY), with one-bedroom units averaging $1,245; Apartments.com cites a similar $1,268 for a one-bedroom; but RentHop cited a notably higher $1,803 for a one-bedroom in the same general window -- treat $1,245-$1,803 as the disclosed range for a one-bedroom rather than a single number (RentCafe/Rent.com/Apartments.com/RentHop aggregation, retrieved 2026-08-22).
Household income and other cost categories
Garland's median household income was $76,320 in 2024 Census-derived data (Neilsberg, retrieved 2026-08-22), below Richardson's $98,111 (see Richardson topics) but broadly in line with national medians. AreaVibes cites utilities running 4% above the national average -- consistent with the base record's HOT_SUMMERS tag and DFW's high summer cooling demand -- while groceries run about 5% below average and transportation about 1% below average.
Key takeaways
- Cost-of-living index sources disagree meaningfully for Garland (roughly 95-110 across ERI snapshots, 99.5 on AreaVibes); BestPlaces' 100.2 figure is flagged as a likely data anomaly since it matches Richardson's figure exactly despite a large real price gap between the two cities.
- Housing costs run about 4%-7% below the national average (median home price ~$290K), but apartment rent runs notably above the national average -- a real gap between ownership and rental costs.
- One-bedroom rent estimates ranged $1,245-$1,803 depending on the source; treat this as a disclosed range rather than one number.
- Garland's 2024 median household income was $76,320, below Richardson's $98,111 but broadly near national medians; utilities run above average (hot-summer cooling demand) while groceries and transportation run below average.
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