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What does a Materials Engineers salary really buy you in Texas?
Texas is 2.5% cheaper than the US averageData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Texas's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 97.5, meaning prices are 2.5% lower the national average. A Materials Engineers earning $117,700 in Texas has the equivalent purchasing power of $120,717 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Texas's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $67,690 | $69,425 | +$1,735 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $84,700 | $86,871 | +$2,171 |
| Median (P50) | $117,700 | $120,717 | +$3,017 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $160,260 | $164,369 | +$4,109 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $187,460 | $192,266 | +$4,806 |
Texas's cost of living is close to the national average, so $117,700 keeps most of its value at $120,717 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 97.5, Texas is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Materials Engineers is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Texas's cost of living, $117,700 nominal nets out to $120,718 in real purchasing power — a small 2.6% gain. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Materials Engineers.
Texas sits at #12 of 45 states for Materials Engineers COL-adjusted salary — comfortably above the national midpoint.
Where does Materials Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Texas ranks #12 out of 45 states for Materials Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Materials Engineers take-home pay in Texas after taxes →
A Materials Engineers in Texas earns a median salary of $117,700 per year. After adjusting for Texas's cost of living (RPP=97.5), the real purchasing power is $120,717 — a +2.6% difference.
Texas's cost of living is 2.5% lower than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Texas is 97.5 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Materials Engineers in Texas: $117,700 x (100 / 97.5) = $120,717. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
From a purchasing power perspective, yes. A Materials Engineers in Texas enjoys 2.6% more buying power than the nominal salary suggests, because living costs are below the national average. However, other factors like job availability, career growth, and quality of life also matter.
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