Cost of Living in Plano
Plano runs meaningfully above both the national and Texas averages on overall cost of living -- BestPlaces.net puts its composite index at 111.7, meaning day-to-day costs run about 11.7% above the U.S. average and 18.6% above the Texas average. That's the opposite direction from many Sun Belt metros, and it sits alongside genuinely high median household income, not a mismatch between cost and pay.
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Learn moreThe Overall Index
BestPlaces.net's cost-of-living index for Plano (reviewed August 2026) scores the city at 111.7 against a national baseline of 100 -- a real, above-average cost of living, and notably higher than the Texas average too (18.6% above). This tracks with Plano's identity as an established, high-income corporate-HQ suburb rather than a still-affordable growth suburb like Frisco or McKinney next door (see the housing-market and best-areas topic pages).
Housing Is the Biggest Driver
Housing is the clearest driver of Plano's above-average cost of living: the citywide median sale price runs roughly $485,000-$540,000 depending on month and source (see the housing-market topic page for the full breakdown), well above both the national median and many other DFW suburbs. Premium West Plano neighborhoods like Legacy and Willow Bend push the picture further, with median sale prices in the $1.2 million-$1.4 million range.
Income Context
Plano's median household income is cited at $112,253 (World Population Review) to $115,901 (Census Reporter, 2024 ACS data) -- both figures run well above the national and Texas medians, and meaningfully above Houston's cited $60,440-$64,813. This is a genuinely different cost-of-living story than Houston's: Plano pairs above-average costs with above-average typical earnings, driven by the concentration of corporate-HQ and financial-services jobs covered on the jobs-economy topic page, rather than below-average costs alongside below-average income.
Taxes
Texas has no state personal income tax, a structural, statewide cost-of-living advantage covered in full on the taxes topic page -- it applies in Plano exactly as it does statewide. It does not offset a genuinely above-Texas-average property tax bill and a hail-driven homeowners insurance cost that runs above the state average as well; see the property-taxes and homeowners-insurance topic pages for the numbers this summary intentionally doesn't repeat.
Key takeaways
- Plano's overall cost of living runs above both the U.S. and Texas averages (BestPlaces.net index: 111.7 -- 11.7% above the U.S., 18.6% above Texas).
- Housing is the biggest driver: the citywide median sale price runs roughly $485,000-$540,000, and premium West Plano areas (Legacy, Willow Bend) run $1.2M-$1.4M+.
- Median household income ($112,253-$115,901 depending on source) runs well above the national, Texas, and Houston medians -- above-average costs pair with above-average typical earnings here, a real contrast with Houston's below-average-costs-and-income pattern.
- No state income tax is a real structural advantage, but it does not offset an above-Texas-average property tax bill and hail-driven homeowners insurance costs -- see those dedicated topic pages.
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