Corpus Christi vs Mission

Which is the better fit for you?

Corpus Christi, TX
56
Area Score
Bottom 40% nationally
Mission, TX
56
Area Score
Bottom 41% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Corpus Christi and Mission receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Corpus Christi to Mission

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Everyday prices
6% lower
Regional price level 86.1 against 91.7 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$306 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,060 in Mission against $1,366 in Corpus Christi.
The median home
16% less
$175,700 in Mission against $210,400 in Corpus Christi.
The weather you would swap
Winters 1°F milder
Normal January lows are 53°F in Mission against 52°F in Corpus Christi; July highs are 99°F against 92°F (summers 7°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

30 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Corpus Christi
Mission
Opportunity: Corpus Christi is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
52 · Bottom 41%
vs
49 · Bottom 36%
Growth: Mission is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
55 · Top 40%
vs
69 · Top 17%
Climate: Corpus Christi is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
76 · Top 26%
vs
69 · Bottom 44%
Physical resilience: Corpus Christi is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
42 · Bottom 33%
vs
23 · Bottom 17%
Housing affordability: Mission is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
70 · Top 39%
vs
78 · Top 17%
Schools: Mission is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
57 · Top 41%
vs
65 · Top 30%
Access: Mission is the more favorable of the two.
Access
47 · Bottom 3%
vs
70 · Bottom 12%
Economic stability: Corpus Christi is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
37 · Bottom 17%
vs
36 · Bottom 16%

Measured values

MetricCorpus ChristiMissionSource period
Population317,41987,0382024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$67,394 — more favorable$60,7672024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$34,788 — more favorable$28,3042024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,907/sq mi2,396/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$210,400$175,7002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,292$950 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,366$1,060 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index91.786.1 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate57.9%71.4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.8% — more favorable6.0%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.4%+0.5% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher24.4%29.4% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate16.6% — more favorable19.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)1,18964012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents3.77.4 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−11.9% — more favorable−19.8%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high92°F99°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low52°F53°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation35.2"22.2"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport78 mi42 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate22.3 min ±0.5 min22.1 min ±0.8 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age36.934.92024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools93432024-25 school year
Students per teacher15.715.3 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency53.2%56.3% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency46.2%48.0% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility65.7%82.9%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

One row above shows both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise. This is common on these pages by construction: Corpus Christi and Mission were paired because they are alike, and the more alike two places are, the less a sample of this size can tell them apart.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Physical risk tradeoff

Corpus Christi

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.

Mission

Elevated or high exposure: cold wave, hurricane, hail.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Corpus Christi
—
Corpus Christi: Your Score
56
Area Score
Mission
—
Mission: Your Score
56
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Corpus Christi, TX · Mission, TX · How this is calculated: methodology