easy living?

San Antonio among 15 U.S. cities with highest increase in cost of living, report says

San Antonio's cost of living has consistently ticked up alongside its housing costs.

Photo by Sawitree Pamee/EyeEm, Getty Images

The people of San Antonio may think the period from 2010 to 2020 was not kind to their wallets. And while the cost of living may be on the rise everywhere, San Antonians appear to be faring better than residents in many other Texas cities and national locales.

Among major U.S. metro areas, San Antonio saw the 14th biggest increase in the cost of living from 2010 to 2020, according to a new analysis of federal data by Filterbuy. During that 10-year span, the cost of living in the Alamo City rose 17.4 percent, the analysis shows.

The Seattle metro area led major metros with a 23.2 percent jump in the cost of living from 2010 to 2020.

Here’s a further breakdown of the numbers for the San Antonio metro:

Overall cost of living compared with the average — 2.1 percent lower.
Cost of goods compared with the average — 2.6 percent lower.
Cost of housing compared with the average — 7.6 percent lower.
Cost of utilities compared with the average — 13.2 percent higher.

Considering those figures, San Antonio remains a more affordable alternative to places like New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, and Miami — and even some other Texas locales.

Contributing to San Antonio’s cost-of-living figures is its relatively affordable (though rising) housing market. For instance, in December, though the median home price rose to $311,000 — its highest ever — that remains significantly lower than other Texas markets, including nearby Austin, where the median home price for the same month surged to $476,700.

“Home sales are still moving quickly, which is good news for sellers ... but there is still a lot of opportunity for buyers,” Cher Miculka, chairwoman of the San Antonio Board of Realtors, said recently.

Three other places in Texas made Filterbuy’s top 30 for the steepest rises in the cost of living among major metros:

In the 8th-ranked Dallas-Fort Worth area, the cost of living grew 20.3 percent from 2010 to 2020.
In the 12th-ranked Austin area, the cost of living climbed 17.8 percent from 2010 to 2020.
In the 28th-ranked Houston area, the cost of living increased 14.9 percent from 2010 to 2020.

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Drop the Debt

Students of families making under $100,000 will get free tuition to UT

University of Texas at San Antonio/Instagram

This is an extension of a previous program with a lower income eligibility.

Beginning next fall, some students accepted into schools within the University of Texas system will receive free tuition and have all fees waived, the board of regents announced on Wednesday.

In order to qualify, families of undergraduates must make less than $100,000 a year.

The board gave preliminary approval to the plan on Wednesday. After the full board’s consideration and vote on Thursday, the plan will include a new, immediate infusion of $35 million directly to campuses to offer the financial aid benefit. The plan also directs additional investment in endowments supporting financial aid to ensure a commitment for tuition relief.

In 2019, the regents established a $167 million endowment at UT Austin to completely cover tuition and mandatory fees for in-state undergraduate students from families with an income of up to $65,000. In 2022, the regents approved a second endowment of almost $300 million called “Promise Plus” to extend the program to all UT academic institutions.

“To be in a position to make sure our students can attend a UT institution without accruing more debt is very important to all of us [...]” Kevin P. Eltife, chairman of the board of regents, said.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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