What it's like to live in Abilene
Abilene is a mid-size city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Abilene deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, hot summers, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Short commutes
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Hot summers
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Abilene compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Abilene
Based on Abilene's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,314
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $46,280 a year
- 49% of Abilene renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$36,740
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,370
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 18% below US
$1,157/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,157 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $183,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $183,700 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 19% below US
3.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.5%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 39% above US
457 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1659/100k · Abilene Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 40% below US
16 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 15.6 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 95°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 35°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 24% below US
27% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 27%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
40 public schools inside the boundary
There are 40 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Bottom line
Abilene's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,157/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
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