Cost of living in Plano, TX: a 2026 budget and the salary it takes

Cost of living in Plano at a glance (2026)

Plano property tax estimator for your cost of living budget

Tax year 2026 rates adopted by each taxing unit (Collin Central Appraisal District and the units' own notices). † Denton County's 2026 rate is proposed, not yet confirmed as adopted, and its homestead exemption isn't verified, so none is applied; Collin College isn't included for Denton County addresses: check the parcel's bill. An estimate, not a tax bill: special districts and over-65 tax ceilings can change it. Confirm with the appraisal district or a CPA.

What salary do you need to live in Plano, Texas?

Start with the ZIP, not the city. We only have metro averages for food, cars and health care, so those lines are the same anywhere in Plano. The housing line is what moves, and it more than doubles from east to west. The table prices the typical home in each Plano ZIP with 20% down at Freddie Mac's 7.4% average, plus property tax at tax year 2026 rates with your homestead exemption, then shows the household income that keeps that payment at 30% or 28% of gross pay.

Monthly housing is principal and interest plus property tax at Plano ISD, City of Plano, Collin County and Collin College rates, before insurance and HOA dues. Parts of 75024 and 75093 are in Frisco ISD or Lewisville ISD, which changes the school line on the bill; the guide to Plano school districts shows how to check an address. We left out 75094 because Zillow files it under Murphy.

Read the table from your income. On about $100,000, 75074 is the only Plano ZIP where the typical home fits, and only just. Around $130,000 opens 75023 and 75075. The west side asks $168,000 or more. Plano's median household income was $112,253 in the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey, so the typical Plano home is a stretch on a median income unless you put more down: each extra $50,000 cuts the payment by about $346 a month at 7.4%.

Renting in Plano while you pick a side

At the typical $1,736 a month, renting takes about $69,000 to $74,000 of income, roughly $1,560 a month less than owning the typical home. If your job is in Legacy but you can't yet tell whether you'd rather live near it or near downtown, a six- to twelve-month lease buys you that answer. The catch: Zillow's rent figure includes apartments, so a rented house will cost more than this.

Cost of living in east Plano: 75074 and 75023

This is the cheapest way to own in Plano: about $2,370 to $2,720 a month for the typical home. It's also where prices have given back the most, so you have room to negotiate; 75074 sits about 11% below its 2024 peak. The catch is the age of the house. These ZIPs hold the city's older, smaller homes, so set aside money for a roof, HVAC or windows before you count the savings. Our east Plano guide covers what each area offers.

Cost of living in central Plano: 75075 and 75025

If you earn $120,000 to $155,000, these two ZIPs are where your budget lands. 75075 is close to the typical Plano home at about $3,010 a month and holds the Collin Creek redevelopment, where new townhomes are going up on the old mall site. 75025 runs about $3,630, and it fell the most over the year among the ZIPs above $500,000. Your catch here is that 75025 takes roughly $25,000 more income than 75075 for the typical home.

Cost of living in west Plano: 75024 and 75093

Here the typical home costs $4,195 to $4,948 a month, and you have the least room to bargain: 75093 fell under 1% over the year. If you want to be near the Legacy employers on less income, the way in is a townhome. D.R. Horton's Mustang Square in 75024 starts at $499,990, about $129,000 under the ZIP's typical value; our new homes in Plano guide covers it. The catch is space, and that community is in Frisco ISD.

MIT living wage for Collin County

MIT's Living Wage Calculator, updated February 2026, puts the pre-tax income one adult with no children needs in Collin County at $54,616 a year. Two working adults with two children need $115,212. Its housing figure is a rental benchmark, so treat it as a floor for renting, not a buyer's budget.

Cost of living in Plano: the whole monthly budget

Here's the full month for the typical home, so you can see how much of it is housing. Swap in your own figures as you go. Housing uses Plano's Zillow and tax figures; food, transportation and health care use the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of what Dallas-Fort Worth households spend, which includes Plano.

The two columns differ by about $1,560 a month, and all of it is housing. After housing, the car is the biggest line you control.

Collin County property tax in a Plano budget

Texas has no state income tax, so local property tax carries more of the load. On the typical $497,714 home in Plano ISD, the tax year 2026 rates come to about $6,476 a year once your homestead exemption applies: $540 a month, or about 1.30% of value. Until it applies, the same home owes about $8,476, which is roughly $167 a month more, so plan for that gap in your first year. The Plano property tax guide breaks the bill down by taxing unit, and the homestead exemption guide covers when to file.

Transportation costs in Plano

Dallas-Fort Worth households spend a bigger share on transportation than the national average: 18.6% against 17.0% in 2023-24. BLS found almost all of it goes on buying and running cars. That makes the commute your second lever after the house, and tolls on the Dallas North Tollway or the Bush Turnpike come on top. Price them from each address on your shortlist with the Plano to Dallas commute guide.

Food costs in Plano

Food took 11.8% of metro household spending in 2023-24, a little under the national 12.9%. Groceries won't make or break a Plano budget, so keep the figure you spend now.

Health care costs in Plano

The metro average is about $500 a month, but your figure depends almost entirely on your employer's plan. Replace this line first.

Utilities in a Plano budget

Electricity, water, sewer, trash and internet aren't in the table because they vary with the size of the home and the electricity plan. Plano has retail electric choice, so you pick the provider; the Plano utilities setup guide covers each service.

Insurance and HOA dues in a Plano budget

Get an insurance quote for the exact address before you offer, because roof age and claim history change the premium. HOA dues vary by subdivision: ask the HOA for its current budget and any planned special assessment in writing.

Plano cost of living vs Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Richardson

We found no city-level grocery or fuel figures for these suburbs, only metro averages, so the comparison that holds up is housing and tax. If a lower price is pulling you north, check the tax rate first. The table uses Zillow's typical value for each city in September 2026, principal and interest at 7.4% with 20% down, and each city's combined tax year 2026 rate from Collin CAD (city, main school district, Collin County and Collin College), before any exemptions, where we could verify it.

Frisco vs Plano cost of living

Frisco's typical home costs about $142,000 more, which adds roughly $790 a month in principal and interest and about $189 in tax before exemptions. Its tax rate is slightly lower than Plano's, but the higher value outweighs it. Our Plano and Frisco cost side by side goes further.

Allen vs Plano cost of living

Allen's typical value is about $10,000 below Plano's, but its higher combined rate brings the monthly cost to within about $50 of Plano's, so a lower price there doesn't save you money. Values in Allen fell 5.05% over the year against Plano's 3.33%.

McKinney vs Plano cost of living

McKinney's typical value is about $25,000 below Plano's, saving roughly $140 a month in principal and interest; confirm McKinney's 2026 rates on Collin CAD before you compare tax. The trade is distance: McKinney sits farther north of the Dallas job centers.

Richardson vs Plano cost of living

Richardson is the cheaper option to the south at a typical $437,432, and its homes sit in more than one school district, so check the tax rate on each parcel. It was also the only one of these cities where values rose over the year, up 0.65%. For a wider comparison of suburbs, see our guide to the best Dallas suburbs.

Texas taxes and the cost of living in Plano

Texas has no state personal income tax. If you're moving from a state that has one, that's money back in every paycheck. Texas collects instead through sales tax, 8.25% on most purchases in Plano (6.25% state, 1% City of Plano and 1% DART), and local property tax, which is already in the housing line above. A quick check before you compare offers: add your old state's income tax back to your take-home pay, then subtract the difference in property tax on the home you'd buy in each place. Our guide to Texas and Plano taxes covers sales tax and the one-time vehicle taxes new residents pay.

Can you live in the Dallas area on $3,000 a month?

For one adult in Plano, $3,000 a month is tight. That's $36,000 a year before tax, against the $54,616 MIT says one adult with no children needs in Collin County. The typical Plano asking rent of $1,736 would take 58% of it, leaving about $1,264 for food, transportation, health care and everything else, when the metro household averages for just those three lines add up to more than that.

It's more workable with a roommate, a smaller apartment below the typical rent, or a car-light life near a DART station. Elsewhere in the metro, Dallas's typical home value of $303,442 is well below Plano's, but rents and commutes vary block by block, so build the budget for the specific area.

Cutting your cost of living in Plano: a checklist

1. Pick your ZIP band from the income table before you look at listings.
2. If you're unsure which side of the city fits your commute, rent for six to twelve months first.
3. File your homestead exemption as soon as you qualify: on the typical home it's worth about $2,000 a year at tax year 2026 rates.
4. Compare total monthly cost, not price: a cheaper home in a city with a higher tax rate can cost the same each month.
5. Get insurance quotes and the HOA budget in writing before you make an offer.
6. Price your commute, including tolls, from each home on your shortlist.
7. Shop electricity plans on Power to Choose once you have an address.

Linda can run these numbers for the specific homes you're looking at and share them before you fly in.