Overall
85.9
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
Cost-of-living indicators for McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 85.9
- Overall RPP
- #369
- of 387 metros
- 55.9
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
McAllen ranks #369 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Fort Smith
The verdict
McAllen costs less than 95% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 85.9, 14.1% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 55.9.
- bottom 5%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 93.8
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 81.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $116,421 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $85,895.
McAllen vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 5% higher than 5% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
McAllen cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
55.9 RPP
- Services
Services
81.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
85.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
93.8 RPP
What this shows McAllen's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 55.9 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 81.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where McAllen's cost comes from
Metros near McAllen's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- McAllen (McAllen, this metro): goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 55.9
- Fort Smith: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.4
- Jonesboro: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.8
- Johnstown: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 42.3
- Lake Charles: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 51.8
- Lawton: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.4
- Anniston: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 54.7
Price Index Summary
Goods
93.8
Below avg
Services
81.2
Cheap
Rents
55.9
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How McAllen's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in McAllen: rents index at 55.9, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 85.9.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Sioux City, IA-NE-SD. They resemble McAllen across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, McAllen's overall index has stayed within 1.0 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$85,895
in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$42,948
$75,000 nationally
$64,421
$125,000 nationally
$107,369
$150,000 nationally
$128,843
$200,000 nationally
$171,790
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
91/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
91st percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
McAllen's overall RPP fell -0.2 points, from 86.1 in 2023 to 85.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 88.0 to 81.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 2.5 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
McAllen overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 86.9 |
| 2009 | 86.3 |
| 2010 | 87.8 |
| 2011 | 88.0 |
| 2012 | 89.2 |
| 2013 | 88.3 |
| 2014 | 89.1 |
| 2015 | 89.4 |
| 2016 | 89.8 |
| 2017 | 89.3 |
| 2018 | 86.8 |
| 2019 | 86.8 |
| 2020 | 88.0 |
| 2021 | 87.2 |
| 2022 | 86.6 |
| 2023 | 86.1 |
| 2024 | 85.9 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to McAllen's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 81.2 · Rents 57.7 Eagle Pass, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 81.9 · Rents 53.7 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
Goods 94.0 · Services 82.7 · Rents 57.8 Laredo, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 80.6 · Rents 59.7 Farmington, NM
Goods 96.1 · Services 77.9 · Rents 56.6 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
Goods 94.2 · Services 85.6 · Rents 56.4
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX's index of 85.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
TX-relative analysis
Goods prices places McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX near the bottom of TX's metros
Among the 26 TX metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX ranks #3 - the 4th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 26
4th percentile in TX
Services prices
#20 of 26
23rd percentile in TX
Rent prices
#24 of 26
8th percentile in TX
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within TX only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (85.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (55.9 here).
Other TX Metros
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 103.1 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 98.6 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 98.1 Midland, TX 95.8 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 94.7 Odessa, TX 93.9
View all TX metros → Cheapest in TX → Most expensive in TX →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for McAllen
How to read McAllen's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $116,421 in McAllen. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 55.9, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare McAllen head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX?
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 85.9, meaning it is 14.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 93.8, services at 81.2, and rents at 55.9. It ranks #369 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $85,895 in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX. Conversely, $100K earned in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX has the purchasing power of $116,421 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX?
Rents in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX are indexed at 55.9, which is 44.1% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX's overall cost index changed by -1.0 points (from 86.9 to 85.9). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX?
The priciest category in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX is goods at 93.8, 6.2% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 55.9, 44.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Johnstown. These areas have RPP values within a few points of McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX's 85.9.
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.