Overall
- Texarkana
- 84.0
Diff +1.9 RPP
Texarkana vs McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is 2.2% more expensive than Texarkana.
2.2% more expensive
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX is 2.2% more expensive than Texarkana, TX-AR on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.9 vs 84.0). A $100,000 salary in Texarkana buys about the same as $102,241 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 84.0 (Texarkana) vs 85.9 (McAllen-Edinburg-Mission)
- $100k in Texarkana ≈ $102,241 purchasing power in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
- Rents drives the gap (+6.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair TX:TX 84.0→85.9
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.
Texarkana
84.0
Cost Index
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
85.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Texarkana, TX-AR and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 6.0 points higher than Texarkana. 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 Texarkana corresponds to $102,241 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission.
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 | Texarkana | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 84.0 | 85.9 | +1.9 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 93.8 | +0.1 |
| Services | 79.3 | 81.2 | +1.9 |
| Rents | 49.9 | 55.9 | +6.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Texarkana 84.0
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 85.9
Goods
Texarkana 93.7
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 93.8
Services
Texarkana 79.3
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 81.2
Rents
Texarkana 49.9
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 55.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Texarkana would need to be in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission for the same purchasing power:
| In Texarkana | In McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,121 | +$1,121 |
| $75,000 | $76,681 | +$1,681 |
| $100,000 | $102,241 | +$2,241 |
| $150,000 | $153,362 | +$3,362 |
$ in Texarkana = in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (84.0 → 85.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is McAllen-Edinburg-Mission more expensive than Texarkana?
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is 2.2% more expensive than Texarkana. The overall cost index is 85.9 vs 84.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission equals $100K in Texarkana?
A $100,000 salary in Texarkana has the same purchasing power as $102,241 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Texarkana and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?
Rents in Texarkana are indexed at 49.9 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.