Cost of Living in Irving
Irving's overall cost of living sits close to the national average by one measure and meaningfully above it by another -- BestPlaces.net cites a composite index of 100.2 (essentially national parity, though 6.4% above the Texas state average), while a separate aggregator, uscostofliving.com, cites 105 for the same city. Both sources describe Irving as somewhat more expensive than the Texas average overall, with median household income ($81,830, about 4% above the Texas median) helping offset that for many residents.
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Learn moreTwo Indices, One Real Disagreement
BestPlaces.net's cost-of-living index for Irving (reviewed August 2026) scores the city at 100.2 against a national baseline of 100 -- essentially even with the U.S. average, but 6.4% above the Texas state average. Uscostofliving.com cites a higher figure of 105 for the same city in the same period. The gap likely reflects different basket weighting (housing, utilities, and taxes are commonly weighted differently between aggregators) rather than one source being wrong -- treat Irving as landing somewhere in the 100-105 range relative to the national baseline, not as a single precise number.
Income and Poverty Provide Real Context
Irving's median household income is $81,830, about 4% above the Texas state median of $78,476, with per-capita income at $53,424 and a poverty rate of 11.04% -- notably below the statewide poverty rate of 13.8%, per Census-based aggregations reviewed August 2026. That combination (above-average income, below-average poverty rate) is a genuinely positive backdrop against a cost-of-living index that itself runs close to or modestly above the national average.
Housing and Property Tax Are Where Real Variation Shows Up
Irving's citywide cost-of-living index conceals real variation underneath it. As detailed on the property-tax portion of the taxes page, annual property tax bills across Irving zip codes ranged from about $3,011 (75060) to $8,891 (75039) in recent city data -- nearly a 3x spread within city limits, driven by both differing home values and differing school-district/special-district levies. A citywide cost index tells you little about what a specific Irving zip code or neighborhood will actually cost to own in.
Groceries and Utilities: Not Independently Confirmed
A specific, independently verified Irving-specific grocery cost index was not confirmed to a single reliable figure this research pass -- general cost-of-living aggregators place Texas metro grocery costs close to the national average, but treat any precise percentage you see elsewhere with some caution. Summer air conditioning is a real, non-optional utility cost given the region's climate (see the climate-weather topic page); a specific Irving utilities cost index was similarly not confirmed to a single precise figure this pass.
Key takeaways
- Irving's cost-of-living index is cited at 100.2 (BestPlaces.net, essentially national parity) to 105 (uscostofliving.com) depending on source -- treat the real range as roughly 100-105.
- Median household income ($81,830, ~4% above the Texas median) and a below-state-average poverty rate (11.04% vs. 13.8% statewide) provide real context against that index.
- Property tax bills vary nearly 3x by zip code within Irving ($3,011 to $8,891 in recent city data) -- the citywide average masks a real spread in ownership cost.
- No independently verified Irving-specific grocery or utilities cost index was confirmed this pass -- treat outside claims on either with some caution.
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