What is the cost of living in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 85.9, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 55.9, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,060/month.

What is the median salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?

The median salary in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is $55,404 annually (mean: $59,242). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.

How safe is McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?

The violent crime rate in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area is 395 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 2058 per 100K.

What are the schools like in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?

The state of TX has 9,061 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 14.7:1. Charter schools make up 11.4% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?

Infant center-based childcare in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area averages $7,566 per year. Preschool averages $6,926/year. These are state-level averages.

Is McAllen-Edinburg-Mission a good place to relocate?

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission has a Life Score of 58/100 (C-), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is an above-average score, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission outperforms most scored metros on the combined measure.

Where does McAllen-Edinburg-Mission sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ranks #242 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

BEA RPP 85.9 ranks #19 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

85.9
Cost index (US=100): $1,060
2BR rent / mo: $55,404
Median salary: 48
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ranks #242 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (48/100), with its strongest marks in cost of living and housing.

#242
of 387 US metros · Near median: 31,290,831
metro-area population: 395
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 9,061
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: low hazard (3/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ranks #242 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 85.9 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,060/mo, median salary $55,404; LiveAbility Score 48/100, strongest in cost of living and housing.

Signature: BEA RPP 85.9 ranks #19 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 85.9 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,060/mo.

LiveAbility 48/100 keeps McAllen-Edinburg-Mission in the middle third (#242 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area is 289,460.

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

48 Top 63% higher than 37% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

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 and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSA; housing RPP 55.9 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,060/mo.

Studio

$842

/month

1 Bedroom

$847

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,060

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,376

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,522

/month

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission wages and employment

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission posts 289,460 total employment with median salary $55,404 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$55,404

Mean Salary

$59,242

Total Employment

289,460

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$23,960
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$22,790
Retail Salespersons	$27,420
Customer Service Representatives	$35,830
Cashiers	$27,020

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area from NCES.

Schools

9,061

Enrollment

5,491,723

Student:Teacher

14.7:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$7,566

per year

Toddler (Center)

$7,109

per year

Preschool (Center)

$6,926

per year

Life Score Breakdown

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission's composite Life Score is 58/100 (C-), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

95/100

Elite

Wages

5/100

Bottom decile

Rent

87/100

Elite

Crime

32/100

Weak

Schools

40/100

Below average

Childcare

74/100

Strong

Environment

87/100

Elite

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ranks #242 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 48/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Cost of living (95/100)

Cost of living

95
Housing

87
Climate

63
Schools

60
Safety

32
Air quality

8
Job market

5
Low hazard

3

What this shows McAllen-Edinburg-Mission's strongest dimensions are cost of living and housing; its weakest among scored dims is low hazard at 3/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare McAllen-Edinburg-Mission to

Shreveport-Bossier City Sierra Vista-Douglas Sioux City Sioux Falls Slidell-Mandeville-Covington South Bend-Mishawaka

Metros near McAllen-Edinburg-Mission on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to McAllen-Edinburg-Mission on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; McAllen-Edinburg-Mission wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about McAllen-Edinburg-Mission?

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission runs a $55,404 median salary at a 85.9 cost index, ranking #242 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what McAllen-Edinburg-Mission's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put McAllen-Edinburg-Mission head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.