The 10 Cheapest Places to Live in Texas in 2026

The median rent in Austin hit $1,600 a month in recent years. In Cottle County, Texas, it's $340. That's not a typo. The same state, a different world.

Texas is enormous, and most of the conversation about living here focuses on the big cities. But if your income is remote-friendly or your cost of living matters more than a rooftop bar scene, the rural counties in this list will change how you think about the state.

How We Found These Counties

We pulled median rent and home prices from Movemap's county database, which covers all 3,143 US counties. The underlying figures come from 2020-2021 census data. Prices have likely shifted since then, but the relative ranking of affordable counties holds. Cottle is still Cottle.

The 10 Cheapest Counties in Texas

1. Cottle County sits in the rolling plains of northwest Texas, and at $340 a month for rent and a median home price of $49,215, it's the cheapest county in the state by a real margin. Unemployment runs at 4.9%, which isn't alarming for a county this small. Summers hit the mid-90s, winters stay mild. This is a county for someone who owns their work, wants acreage, and doesn't need much around them.

2. Edwards County comes in at $394 a month rent, with homes averaging around $73,000. Unemployment is just 3.5%, one of the lower figures on this list. The county sits in the Texas Hill Country, which means cedar, deer, and actual topography. It's not close to an airport, but for a remote worker who wants dramatic scenery without Hill Country tourist prices, this is a hidden option.

3. Throckmorton County ties for third with rent at $429 a month and homes around $59,000. Unemployment matches Cottle at 4.9%. The summers are hot, hitting nearly 95 degrees, and the winters are dry and mild. This is ranching country in north-central Texas. If you want land, quiet, and a low property tax bill, Throckmorton fits. If you want delivery in two days and a coffee shop, it doesn't.

4. Presidio County also sits at $429 rent but has a very different character. It borders Mexico along the Rio Grande, and the region around Marfa has drawn artists and remote workers for years. Homes average $79,000. The tradeoff is real: unemployment sits at 14.7%, the highest on this list. Jobs are scarce here. If you're bringing your own income, that number doesn't matter. If you need local employment, it does.

5. Schleicher County has rent at $439 a month and homes at $82,000, which is higher than some counties above it. Unemployment is 6.9%. This is West Texas oil country, sparsely populated, with winters around 62 degrees and summers in the low 90s. The lifestyle is utilitarian. The cost savings are real.

6. Kent County is the outlier on this list. Rent runs $475 a month, but the median home price is just $36,964. That's the lowest home price of any county here. Unemployment is a reasonable 3.9%. Kent County has about 750 people in it. If you want to own something outright, pay cash, and get completely out of the housing market grind, this is one of the cheapest entry points in America.

7. Foard County comes in at $491 rent and $49,000 for a home. Unemployment is 4.2%. Summers push nearly 95 degrees. This is a small agricultural county in north Texas, close to the Oklahoma border. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and that's either the appeal or the dealbreaker depending on who you are.

8. Dickens County sits at $509 a month for rent and about $54,000 for a home. Unemployment is 6.3%. Winters are cold compared to further south, summers are dry and hot. The county seat of Spur has a few thousand people. This is traditional West Texas. Low cost, low amenities, honest tradeoff.

9. Falls County matches Dickens at $509 rent, but homes average $79,000 and it has one major advantage: it's near an airport. That matters if you travel for work or need regular access to a metro. It's in central Texas, south of Waco. Unemployment runs at 6.0%. For someone who wants affordable rural Texas without being fully off the grid, Falls County is worth a hard look.

10. Knox County rounds out the list at $513 a month rent, with homes around $47,500. Unemployment is 5.6%. Summers hit 95 degrees. This is small-town north Texas, cotton fields and grain elevators. Nothing flashy. But if your goal is low overhead and owning your home outright, Knox County delivers.

See Every County's Data Yourself

The filters on movemap.io/explore/us let you cross-reference rent and home prices against crime rates, school quality, weather, job market data, and 40 other variables. You can sort every county in Texas by what actually matters to your move. Sign up for full access to the premium filters.

FAQ

Is Texas actually cheaper than other states?

Parts of it, yes. The counties above are genuinely among the most affordable in the entire US, not just Texas. But Austin, Dallas, and Houston have all gone up sharply. The gap between rural and urban Texas is wider than almost any other state.

What's the catch with these cheap counties?

Distance. Most of these counties are 2 to 4 hours from a major city. Healthcare options are limited. If you work remotely and value space over convenience, the math works. If you need urban infrastructure, it doesn't.

Are home prices still this low in 2026?

The data here is from 2020-2021. Prices have moved, but rural Texas did not see the same run-up as the metros. The relative affordability of these counties compared to Austin or Houston is still dramatic.

If you're paying $1,500 a month to rent a one-bedroom in a Texas city, these numbers should at least make you run the math.