Overall
- Paducah
- 86.1
Diff +0.2 RPP
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission vs Paducah
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Paducah is 0.2% more expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission.
0.2% more expensive
Paducah, KY-IL is 0.2% more expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 86.1 vs 85.9). A $100,000 salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission buys about the same as $100,220 in Paducah; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 85.9 (McAllen-Edinburg-Mission) vs 86.1 (Paducah)
- $100k in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ≈ $100,220 purchasing power in Paducah
- Rents drives the gap (-7.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:KY 85.9→86.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE TX × KY
- 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.
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
85.9
Cost Index
Paducah
86.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX and Paducah, KY-IL 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.
Rents creates the largest separation: Paducah is 7.1 points lower. But rents and services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
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 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission corresponds to $100,220 in Paducah.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Paducah
- 96.0
Diff +2.3 RPP
Services
- Paducah
- 76.9
Diff -4.3 RPP
Rents
- Paducah
- 48.8
Diff -7.1 RPP
| Category | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | Paducah | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.9 | 86.1 | +0.2 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.0 | +2.3 |
| Services | 81.2 | 76.9 | -4.3 |
| Rents | 55.9 | 48.8 | -7.1 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 85.9
Paducah 86.1
Goods
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 93.8
Paducah 96.0
Services
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 81.2
Paducah 76.9
Rents
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 55.9
Paducah 48.8
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission would need to be in Paducah for the same purchasing power:
| In McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | In Paducah | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,110 | +$110 |
| $75,000 | $75,165 | +$165 |
| $100,000 | $100,220 | +$220 |
| $150,000 | $150,330 | +$330 |
$ in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission = in Paducah
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.9 → 86.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Paducah more expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Paducah is 0.2% more expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission. The overall cost index is 86.1 vs 85.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Paducah equals $100K in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
A $100,000 salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission has the same purchasing power as $100,220 in Paducah. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between McAllen-Edinburg-Mission and Paducah?
Rents in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission are indexed at 55.9 while Paducah is at 48.8 (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.