Question 1

Is El Paso or San Antonio cheaper to live in?

Accepted Answer

El Paso, TX is cheaper. Estimated essentials for a single person run about $118/month less than in San Antonio, covering rent plus everyday costs. Typical rent is $1,191/mo in El Paso versus $1,426/mo in San Antonio.

Question 2

What salary do you need in El Paso vs San Antonio?

Accepted Answer

Living comfortably takes roughly $61,500/year before tax in El Paso, TX and $64,000/year in San Antonio, TX — a difference of about $2,500. Both figures are after state and local income taxes are accounted for.

Question 3

Is El Paso or San Antonio cheaper for a family?

Accepted Answer

El Paso, the same answer as for a single person. A four-person household runs about $6,885/month in El Paso and $6,946/month in San Antonio, with rent scaled to household size using each city's own bedroom spread.

Question 4

Should I move to El Paso or San Antonio?

Accepted Answer

It depends on what you weight. El Paso costs less month to month, but cost is one of six factors — jobs, safety, climate, housing and amenities all differ too. Compare them against your own income and priorities rather than a single ranking.

Metric	El Paso81	San Antonio68
Est. monthly cost (single)	$3,579	$3,697
Est. monthly cost (household of 4)	$6,885	$6,946
Salary for comfort	$61,500/yr	$64,000/yr
Typical rent	$1,191	$1,426
Median home value	$171,700	$219,700
Median household income	$58,734	$62,917
Unemployment	4.2%	4.0%
Housing score	86	69
Jobs score	54	59
Safety score	98	35
Climate score	94	96
Amenities score	39	54
Population	678.1K	1.5M
Summer high / winter low	95° / 33°	94° / 40°

El Paso, TX vs San Antonio, TX