Cost of Living in Killeen
Killeen runs affordable relative to the national median (roughly 11% below the national cost-of-living average) and even relative to the other Texas markets in this batch, with a citywide median home price around $228,000 -- likely the most affordable of the four Central/East Texas markets covered.
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Learn moreNo state income tax, and among the most affordable housing in this batch
Texas's no state income tax applies fully in Killeen. Killeen's citywide median home sale price runs around $228,000 (Redfin, three months ending May 2026) -- a separate November 2025 read showed $225K, down 9.53% year over year, suggesting a market that has softened somewhat rather than overheated. This is likely the most affordable of the four Central/East Texas markets in this build.
A rental-dominant market changes the typical cost-of-living calculation
Because a large share of Killeen's housing stock is investor-owned rental property serving PCS-driven turnover, the typical cost-of-living comparison built around a purchased single-family home may not represent as many residents here as it would in a more owner-occupied market.
Household income figures are complicated by the military connection
Median household income is $60,977 -- higher than Waco's or Temple's in this batch, but military households often combine base pay and allowances (which do not always show up cleanly in standard household-income statistics) with a working spouse's civilian income, so this figure should be read with that structural complication in mind rather than compared directly to a purely civilian city's figure.
Key takeaways
- Texas's no state income tax applies fully in Killeen, a real structural cost advantage.
- Housing runs around $228,000 citywide median (Redfin), likely the most affordable of the four markets in this batch, though the market softened somewhat year over year in late 2025.
- A large, investor-owned rental housing stock tied to PCS turnover means cost-of-living comparisons here should weigh rental dynamics as heavily as purchase prices.
- Median household income ($60,977) is structurally complicated by military pay/allowances plus variable spousal civilian income and should not be compared naively to a purely civilian city.
- Overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average (ERI/SalaryExpert).
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