Salary comparison
Recreation Workers: Bend vs College Station
College Station, TX pays about 3.5% more for recreation workers on paper — $47,870 vs $46,230. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, College Station comes out ahead by $1,640 a year in real buying power.
Bend, OR
$46,230
$41,390
$46,230
$22.23
100
$46,230/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
College Station, TX
$47,870
$47,700
$47,870
$23.02
100
$47,870/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $1,640 a year (3.5%) in favor of College Station. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Bend runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; College Station sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, College Station is the better deal by $1,640 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Bend to College Station for this role, the raise needs to beat 3.5% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do recreation workers earn more, Bend or College Station?
College Station pays $47,870 on median — about 3.5% more than Bend ($46,230). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
College Station. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, College Station gives you roughly$47,870 of real buying power versus $46,230 in the other city.