What it's like to live in Eagle Pass
Eagle Pass is a small city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well 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. Eagle Pass deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- Very hot summers
How Eagle Pass compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Eagle Pass
Based on Eagle Pass's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,760
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $35,200 a year
- 43% of Eagle Pass renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$37,600
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,800
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 38% below US
$880/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $880 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $188,000. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $188,000 · 43% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 133% above US
10.0% unemployment
Unemployment here is 10.0%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 45% below US
180 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1528/100k · Eagle Pass Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 23% below US
20 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 5% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 97°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 40% below US
22% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 22%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
15 public schools inside the boundary
There are 15 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Amistad National Recreation Area (68 miles away).
Bottom line
Eagle Pass's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($880/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and people who struggle with heat.
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