The Texas Workforce Commission recently put out its annual study of self-sufficiency per county, determining how much money is required for a family to meet basic needs “while maintaining self-sufficiency.”
Based on Texas’ average family size of 1.6 children, Collin County has a self-sufficient wage (a.k.a living wage) of $21.46 per hour for individuals or $7,553 per month or $90,635 annually for a family.
Collin County’s population was 1,297,179, making it the sixth-largest county in Texas, after Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar and Travis. However, Collin County had the highest wage required for self-sufficiency out of any Texas county — nearly $10,000 more annually than Dallas County and about $15,000 more than Harris County.
Average monthly household costs for 2026 in Collin County:
- Housing – $2.194
- Child care – $1,215
- Food – $945
- Transportation – $786
- Healthcare – $952
- Healthcare premium – $661
- Healthcare out of pocket – $291
- Miscellaneous – $762
- Broadband/cell phone – $153
- Other necessities – $609
- Taxes – $1,091
- Emergency savings – $135
Last year, the individual self-sufficient wage for our county was $20.39 per hour for an individual or $7,179 or $86,147 annually for a family.
Average monthly household costs for 2025 in Collin County:
- Housing costs – $2,150
- Child care costs – $1,059
- Food costs – $985
- Transportation costs – $785
- Healthcare costs – $813
- Healthcare premium – $574
- Healthcare out of pocket – $239
- Miscellaneous costs – $723
- Broadband & cell phone – $144
- Other necessities – $579
- Taxes – $1,044
- Emergency savings – $129
In our county, the largest cost increases year-over-year are in healthcare and childcare, with out-of-pocket healthcare expenses increasing over 20% and childcare increasing nearly 15%.
