What does a Physicists salary really buy you in Texas?
Texas is 2.5% cheaper than the US averageData: BLS OEWS 2024 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-03-31
Texas's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 97.5, meaning prices are 2.5% lower the national average. A Physicists earning $170,450 in Texas has the equivalent purchasing power of $174,820 in an average-cost US state.
Texas's cost of living is close to the national average, so $170,450 keeps most of its value at $174,820 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
Where does Physicists salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Texas ranks #11 out of 39 states for Physicists after cost-of-living adjustment.
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A Physicists in Texas earns a median salary of $170,450 per year. After adjusting for Texas's cost of living (RPP=97.5), the real purchasing power is $174,820 — 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 Physicists in Texas: $170,450 x (100 / 97.5) = $174,820. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
From a purchasing power perspective, yes. A Physicists 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.