Cost of Living in El Paso, TX, United States

Updated On December 26, 2025
Cost of Living Index:
72.4
* Based on Research & User Data

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How Much Does It Cost to Live in El Paso, TX?

El Paso is the sixth largest city in Texas, on the United StatesMexico border.

The city of El Paso and other nearby cities, such as Juarez and Las Cruces, New Mexico are collectively referred to as The Borderland.

The people that live in this small Texas city often say that though it isn’t much of a tourist destination, it’s a wonderful place to raise a family.

The people here are generally nice, the weather is great, the housing is affordable, and the cost of living, in general, is pretty low.

Cost of Living Breakdown in El Paso, TX

Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

The food is amazing in El Paso, and there are actually top-notch restaurants here, not just street Mexican food.

There are many popular restaurant areas where you are sure to eat quality yet cheap food.

Most corners in town hold at least one inexpensive or at least mid-range outdoor restaurant.

Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) $11.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) $4.25
Water (0.33 Liter) $1.21
Markets

MARKETS

If you’re super smart about your food, shopping for food in markets is a good idea, though the budget depends on whether you’re alone or have a family, and also on the store you’re shopping in – and El Paso offers all the regular market chains.

Food prices are generally lower in El Paso than in many other cities in Texas.

Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter) $0.87
Loaf Bread (500g) $3.78
Eggs (12) $6.44
Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

Going by car may be the easiest way to see what El Paso has to offer.

Since many sites of interest are quite far apart from one another, renting a car may afford visitors the most flexibility.

Bus services are not well organized but are relatively cheap by U.S. standards – a one-way ticket is less than 1.5$.

Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket $1.50
Monthly Pass $41.50
Gasoline $0.83
Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Depending on the size of your apartment, monthly utilities, including heating, cooling, electricity, and gas could cost between 80$ and 300$ a month.

However, for an apartment of about 85m2, your bills would amount to up to 133$.

Internet is expensive as well, amounting to around 62.78$ a month.

Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) $133.91
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local $0.09
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) $62.78
Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

In El Paso, attending fitness clubs and classes is less expensive than in other cities in Texas.

If you want to go to a fitness club in El Paso and get in shape, the fee will be around 27$ a month.

If you want to watch a movie here, however, expect it to cost over 12$.

This is also a reasonable price.

Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult $27.83
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) $21.67
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release $12.00
Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

Shopping options can feel limited here. Cielo Vista Mall, located on the East Side is the largest mall in El Paso.

It is pretty inexpensive in comparison to some other cities in Texas.

Usually, quality jeans cost around 38$, quality sneakers around 65$, while lighter pieces of clothing are only 32$.

Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) $38.17
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) $32.50
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) $65.00
Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

It is widely known that there are many major cities in Texas where the most expensive aspect of living is rent, but El Paso doesn’t fit into this description.

In this city, rent is far cheaper than in most major cities.

Here, you cannot find an apartment to rent for less than 775.00$, and if you’re looking for one in the center, then count on giving 916.67$.

Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center $916.67
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center $775.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center $1556.00

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in El Paso, TX?

Since rent isn’t as expensive here as it is in some other important cities in Texas, the biggest chunk of the paycheck of El Paso’s citizens gets spent on food.

The next huge expense is rent, since the standard is high in Texas, even though rent is lower in this particular city.

The percentage of income that gets spent on rent is getting close to the percentage that gets spent on food.

Restaurants take up the third spot on the list, as well as transportation (with just 2% more than restaurants) since fancy food is a very big part of this city, and transportation is necessary.

As usual, the smallest amount of money is spent on clothes and accessories.

Average Costs Breakdown

10.8%
35.1%
12.8%
7.8%
3.7%
2.5%
27.3%

El Paso, TX: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

El Paso has suffered a brain drain problem where college graduates are forced to move to other cities for better career opportunities.

This means that people in El Paso don’t have the same quality of life that Austin, Dallas, or Houston may have

The range of specialized high-paying jobs is limited: unless you continue to work in real estate, government, law, banking, healthcare, or trade/manufacturing/logistics, it’s a difficult city to grow your career.

With an average wage reaching4 200$, a citizen of El Paso has a very high average salary which fits very well into general Texan standards.

Average Salary$4169.36
Minimum Wage$1256.67
Mortgage Interest Rate6.56%

El Paso Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: El Paso Safety Review

Safety Index:
77
OVERALL RISKLOW
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISKLOW
PICKPOCKETS RISKLOW
NATURAL DISASTERS RISKMEDIUM
MUGGING RISKLOW
TERRORISM RISKMEDIUM
SCAMS RISKLOW
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISKLOW
TAP WATER RISKLOW

Cost of Living by City in United States

City Cost of Living Index
United States FlagAlbany, NY 72.4
United States FlagAlbuquerque, NM 72.4
United States FlagAnchorage, AK 72.4
United States FlagAnn Arbor, MI 72.4
United States FlagArlington, TX 72.4
United States FlagAsheville, NC 72.4
United States FlagAtlanta, GA 72.4
United States FlagAustin, TX 72.4
United States FlagBakersfield, CA 72.4
United States FlagBaltimore, MD 72.4
United States FlagBellevue, WA 72.4
United States FlagBellingham, WA 72.4
United States FlagBerkeley, CA 72.4
United States FlagBirmingham, AL 72.4
United States FlagBoise, ID 72.4
United States FlagBoston, MA 72.4
United States FlagBoulder, CO 72.4
United States FlagBrooklyn, NY 72.4
United States FlagBuffalo, NY 72.4
United States FlagBurlington, VT 72.4
United States FlagCharleston, SC 72.4
United States FlagCharlotte, NC 73.33
United States FlagChattanooga, TN 72.4
United States FlagChicago, IL 72.4
United States FlagCincinnati, OH 72.4
United States FlagCleveland, OH 72.4
United States FlagColumbia, SC 72.4
United States FlagColumbus, OH 72.4
United States FlagDallas, TX 72.4
United States FlagDayton, OH 72.4
United States FlagDenver, CO 72.4
United States FlagDes Moines, IA 72.4
United States FlagDetroit, MI 72.4
United States FlagEugene, OR 72.4
United States FlagEverett, WA 72.4
United States FlagFayetteville, AR 72.4
United States FlagFort Myers, FL 72.4
United States FlagFort Wayne, IN 72.4
United States FlagFort Worth, TX 72.4
United States FlagFresno, CA 74.2
United States FlagGainesville, FL 74.2
United States FlagGrand Rapids, MI 74.2
United States FlagGreensboro, NC 74.2
United States FlagHartford, CT 74.2
United States FlagHonolulu, HI 74.2
United States FlagHouston, TX 74.2
United States FlagHuntsville, AL 74.2
United States FlagIndianapolis, IN 74.2
United States FlagIrvine, CA 74.2
United States FlagJacksonville, FL 74.2
United States FlagJersey City, NJ 74.2
United States FlagKansas City, MO 74.2
United States FlagKnoxville, TN 74.2
United States FlagLas Vegas, NV 74.2
United States FlagLexington, KY 74.2
United States FlagLittle Rock, AR 74.2
United States FlagLong Beach, CA 74.2
United States FlagLos Angeles, CA 74.2
United States FlagLouisville, KY 74.2
United States FlagLubbock, TX 74.2
United States FlagMadison, WI 74.2
United States FlagMemphis, TN 74.2
United States FlagMiami, FL 74.2
United States FlagMilwaukee, WI 74.2
United States FlagMinneapolis, MN 74.2
United States FlagNashville, TN 74.2
United States FlagNew Orleans, LA 74.2
United States FlagNew York, NY 74.2
United States FlagOakland, CA 74.2
United States FlagOklahoma City, OK 74.2
United States FlagOlympia, WA 74.2
United States FlagOrlando, FL 74.2
United States FlagPeoria, IL 72.4
United States FlagPhiladelphia, PA 72.4
United States FlagPhoenix, AZ 72.4
United States FlagPittsburgh, PA 72.4
United States FlagPortland, ME 72.4
United States FlagPortland, OR 72.4
United States FlagRaleigh, NC 72.4
United States FlagReno, NV 72.4
United States FlagRichmond, VA 74.2
United States FlagRochester, NY 74.2
United States FlagSacramento, CA 74.2
United States FlagSaint Louis, MO 74.2
United States FlagSaint Paul, MN 74.2
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United States FlagSalt Lake City, UT 74.2
United States FlagSan Antonio, TX 74.2
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United States FlagSanta Rosa, CA 74.2
United States FlagSeattle, WA 74.2
United States FlagSpokane, WA 74.2
United States FlagSpringfield, MO 74.2
United States FlagSyracuse, NY 74.2
United States FlagTacoma, WA 74.2
United States FlagTallahassee, FL 74.2
United States FlagTampa, FL 74.2
United States FlagToledo, OH 74.2
United States FlagTucson, AZ 74.2
United States FlagTulsa, OK 74.2
United States FlagVancouver, WA 74.2
United States FlagVirginia Beach, VA 74.2
United States FlagWashington, DC 74.2
United States FlagWest Palm Beach, FL 74.2
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