Overall
- Alexandria
- 85.7
Diff -0.2 RPP
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission vs Alexandria
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Alexandria is 0.2% less expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission.
0.2% less expensive
Alexandria, LA is 0.2% less expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.7 vs 85.9). A $100,000 salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission buys about the same as $99,757 in Alexandria; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 85.9 (McAllen-Edinburg-Mission) vs 85.7 (Alexandria)
- $100k in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ≈ $99,757 purchasing power in Alexandria
- Services drives the gap (-10.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:LA 85.9→85.7
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SERVICES-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TX × LA
- SERVICES-LED Services-led gap
- 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.
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
85.9
Cost Index
Alexandria
85.7
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX and Alexandria, LA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services leads the difference, with Alexandria 10.1 points lower than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission to $99,757 in Alexandria, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Alexandria
- 93.7
Diff -0.1 RPP
Services
- Alexandria
- 71.1
Diff -10.1 RPP
Rents
- Alexandria
- 53.7
Diff -2.2 RPP
| Category | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | Alexandria | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.9 | 85.7 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.7 | -0.1 |
| Services | 81.2 | 71.1 | -10.1 |
| Rents | 55.9 | 53.7 | -2.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 85.9
Alexandria 85.7
Goods
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 93.8
Alexandria 93.7
Services
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 81.2
Alexandria 71.1
Rents
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 55.9
Alexandria 53.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission would need to be in Alexandria for the same purchasing power:
| In McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | In Alexandria | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,878 | $-122 |
| $75,000 | $74,818 | $-182 |
| $100,000 | $99,757 | $-243 |
| $150,000 | $149,635 | $-365 |
$ in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission = in Alexandria
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.9 → 85.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alexandria more expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Alexandria is 0.2% less expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission. The overall cost index is 85.7 vs 85.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Alexandria equals $100K in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
A $100,000 salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission has the same purchasing power as $99,757 in Alexandria. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between McAllen-Edinburg-Mission and Alexandria?
Rents in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission are indexed at 55.9 while Alexandria is at 53.7 (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.