Overall
- Dothan
- 83.8
Diff +2.1 RPP
Dothan vs McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is 2.5% more expensive than Dothan.
2.5% more expensive
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX is 2.5% more expensive than Dothan, AL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.9 vs 83.8). A $100,000 salary in Dothan buys about the same as $102,460 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 83.8 (Dothan) vs 85.9 (McAllen-Edinburg-Mission)
- $100k in Dothan ≈ $102,460 purchasing power in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
- Rents drives the gap (+9.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AL:TX 83.8→85.9
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE AL × TX
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Dothan
- 96.4
Diff -2.6 RPP
Services
- Dothan
- 84.3
Diff -3.1 RPP
Rents
- Dothan
- 46.9
Diff +9.0 RPP
| Category | Dothan | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 83.8 | 85.9 | +2.1 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 93.8 | -2.6 |
| Services | 84.3 | 81.2 | -3.1 |
| Rents | 46.9 | 55.9 | +9.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Dothan 83.8
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 85.9
Goods
Dothan 96.4
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 93.8
Services
Dothan 84.3
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 81.2
Rents
Dothan 46.9
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 55.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is 9.0 points higher. But services and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX is 2.5% more expensive than Dothan, AL, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 2.1-point overall gap.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Dothan corresponds to $102,460 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission.
Dothan
83.8
Cost Index
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
85.9
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Dothan would need to be in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission for the same purchasing power:
| In Dothan | In McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,230 | +$1,230 |
| $75,000 | $76,845 | +$1,845 |
| $100,000 | $102,460 | +$2,460 |
| $150,000 | $153,689 | +$3,689 |
$ in Dothan = in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (83.8 → 85.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is McAllen-Edinburg-Mission more expensive than Dothan?
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is 2.5% more expensive than Dothan. The overall cost index is 85.9 vs 83.8 (national average = 100).
What salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission equals $100K in Dothan?
A $100,000 salary in Dothan has the same purchasing power as $102,460 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Dothan and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Rents in Dothan are indexed at 46.9 while McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is at 55.9 (national average = 100). McAllen-Edinburg-Mission has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.