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What does a Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineers earning $112,410 in Texas has the equivalent purchasing power of $115,292 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) | $75,810 | $77,753 | +$1,943 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $91,420 | $93,764 | +$2,344 |
| Median (P50) | $112,410 | $115,292 | +$2,882 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $145,090 | $148,810 | +$3,720 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $175,210 | $179,702 | +$4,492 |
Texas's cost of living is close to the national average, so $112,410 keeps most of its value at $115,292 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 Mechanical 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, $112,410 nominal nets out to $115,292 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 Mechanical Engineers.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Mechanical Engineers, Texas places #9 of 51 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Mechanical Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Texas ranks #9 out of 51 states for Mechanical Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Mechanical Engineers take-home pay in Texas after taxes →
A Mechanical Engineers in Texas earns a median salary of $112,410 per year. After adjusting for Texas's cost of living (RPP=97.5), the real purchasing power is $115,292 — 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 Mechanical Engineers in Texas: $112,410 x (100 / 97.5) = $115,292. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
From a purchasing power perspective, yes. A Mechanical 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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