Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Salary
In Texas, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn $57,760 at the median, or about $27.77 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $82K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.49), which stretches that salary to about $63,133 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,415/month, about 35.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Texas. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $58K get you in Texas?
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What this looks like in Texas
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers pay in Texas tracks closely to the national median, $58K locally vs. $61K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,415/month, which is 35.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.49 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 9% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Texas
Entry-level heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $58K. Top earners bring in $82K or more, a $44K spread from bottom to top.
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers salary by metro in Texas
25 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $61K | +5% | 3,140 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $60K | +3% | 10,910 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $59K | +2% | 7,680 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $59K | +1% | 3,160 |
| Odessa | $59K | +1% | 160 |
| Midland | $58K | +0% | 260 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $57K | -2% | 390 |
| Sherman-Denison | $56K | -2% | 170 |
| Waco | $56K | -3% | 440 |
| Longview | $55K | -5% | 350 |
| Abilene | $54K | -6% | 260 |
| Corpus Christi | $52K | -10% | 640 |
| Lubbock | $50K | -14% | 420 |
| Amarillo | $50K | -14% | 350 |
| Killeen-Temple | $50K | -14% | 410 |
| San Angelo | $49K | -15% | 130 |
| Tyler | $49K | -15% | 290 |
| Wichita Falls | $49K | -15% | 160 |
| Victoria | $49K | -16% | 100 |
| College Station-Bryan | $49K | -16% | 270 |
| Laredo | $48K | -16% | 180 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | $48K | -17% | 260 |
| Texarkana | $48K | -17% | 130 |
| El Paso | $47K | -18% | 790 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $47K | -18% | 530 |
Showing 1–10 of 25 metros
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Frequently asked questions
Can a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Texas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $58K, rent takes 35.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,415/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in Texas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,286/month. At HUD’s $1,415/month FMR, rent would take 62% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer a high-paying job in Texas?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $58K locally vs. $61K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Texas compare to the national average for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers?
Texas pays $58K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.49), the purchasing-power equivalent is $63K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make in Texas?
The median is $57,760 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,100, and experienced heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers can clear $81,860. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $58K enough to live in Texas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,037/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,415/month, which eats 35.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary go in Texas?
Texas has a Regional Price Parity of 91.49 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary is worth about $63,133 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.