City comparison
Killeen, TX vs Spokane, WA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Spokane, WA are 10.1% higher than in Killeen, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Killeen, TX would need about $110,100 in Spokane, WA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,193 a month in Spokane, WA versus $990 in Killeen, TX. On $100,000, that's 18% of take-home pay in Spokane, WA and 15% in Killeen, TX.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $0 a year in TX and $0 in WA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +0.5% moving from Killeen, TX to Spokane, WA ($106,437 → $106,991), while prices change by +10.1%. Net effect of the transfer: −8.7% in real buying power.
- Killeen, TX: price level 91.1 (much cheaper)
- Spokane, WA: price level 100.3 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Killeen, TX | Spokane, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 91.1 | 100.3 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $110,111 in Spokane | $90,818 in Killeen |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $990/mo | $1,193/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $0 (WA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 15% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $46,660 | $54,660 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID |
Rent areas: Killeen-Temple, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Spokane, WA HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Killeen-Temple, TX and Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Killeen | Spokane |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 77.9 | 97.1 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 105.0 |
| Utilities | 81.2 | 91.2 |
| Other services | 96.2 | 99.5 |
| Overall | 91.1 | 100.3 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Killeen, TX → Spokane, WA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −9.2%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
40 Weak offer
Spokane, WA → Killeen, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +10.1%; rent takes 15% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Killeen, TX is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; Spokane, WA is in Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID. The last column shows what a transfer from Killeen, TX to Spokane, WA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Killeen, TX | Spokane, WA | Real change, Killeen → Spokane |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $62,044 | −8.7% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $75,068 | −8.7% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $89,974 | −8.7% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $106,991 | −8.7% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $126,432 | −8.7% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Killeen, TX | Spokane, WA | Spokane pay in Killeen dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $63,120 | $98,800 | $89,728 (+42.2%) |
| Software Developers | $123,320 | $130,690 | $118,690 (−3.8%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $73,270 | $86,350 | $78,421 (+7.0%) |
| Registered Nurses | $93,440 | $111,750 | $101,489 (+8.6%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.