Overall
- Texarkana
- 84.0
Diff -1.9 RPP
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission vs Texarkana
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Texarkana is 2.2% less expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission.
2.2% less expensive
Texarkana, TX-AR is 2.2% less expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 84.0 vs 85.9). A $100,000 salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission buys about the same as $97,808 in Texarkana; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 85.9 (McAllen-Edinburg-Mission) vs 84.0 (Texarkana)
- $100k in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ≈ $97,808 purchasing power in Texarkana
- Rents drives the gap (-6.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:TX 85.9→84.0
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · TX
- RENT-LED Rent-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
Texarkana
84.0
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX and Texarkana, TX-AR are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.9 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents leads the difference, with Texarkana 6.0 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 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 $97,808 in Texarkana.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Texarkana
- 93.7
Diff -0.1 RPP
Services
- Texarkana
- 79.3
Diff -1.9 RPP
Rents
- Texarkana
- 49.9
Diff -6.0 RPP
| Category | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | Texarkana | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.9 | 84.0 | -1.9 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.7 | -0.1 |
| Services | 81.2 | 79.3 | -1.9 |
| Rents | 55.9 | 49.9 | -6.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 85.9
Texarkana 84.0
Goods
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 93.8
Texarkana 93.7
Services
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 81.2
Texarkana 79.3
Rents
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 55.9
Texarkana 49.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission would need to be in Texarkana for the same purchasing power:
| In McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | In Texarkana | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $48,904 | $-1,096 |
| $75,000 | $73,356 | $-1,644 |
| $100,000 | $97,808 | $-2,192 |
| $150,000 | $146,712 | $-3,288 |
$ in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission = in Texarkana
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.9 → 84.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Texarkana more expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Texarkana is 2.2% less expensive than McAllen-Edinburg-Mission. The overall cost index is 84.0 vs 85.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Texarkana equals $100K in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
A $100,000 salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission has the same purchasing power as $97,808 in Texarkana. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between McAllen-Edinburg-Mission and Texarkana?
Rents in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission are indexed at 55.9 while Texarkana is at 49.9 (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.