Living in Waco, TX
Mid-size city in Texas
Waco is a mid-size city in Texas, home to about 142,000 people, with 246,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Waco a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $200k and rents for $1,600 a month
- Low natural disaster risk: 5 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Strong healthcare: 2 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Sunny: more sunshine and clearer skies than most places
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 246,000 people live within 31 mi
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
- Fewer graduates: 29% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Waco ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Waco: common questions
What is the cost of living in Waco?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $200k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 93, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Waco?
Texas has no state income tax, and homeowners here pay about 1.66% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Waco safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.5× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Waco?
Waco has mild winters: winter days average around 60°F and summer days around 94°F.
Does Waco get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from tornadoes, flooding and cold waves: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.35 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Waco?
The nearest major airport is DAL, about 91 mi away.
How Waco scores
Each bar compares Waco with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Waco right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.