Cost of living in McAlester, Oklahoma

McAlester, Oklahoma has about 18,111 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $151,600.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Pittsburg County is $916 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in McAlester. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

Oklahoma's prices sit at 87.8 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

Oklahoma taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.1% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not McAlester's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Oklahoma home paid 14.35¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not McAlester's bill.

EIA does not publish a Oklahoma gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Midwest (PADD 2) all-grades price was $4.237 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,033.76 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Oklahoma shares this price.

Among 220 places we list in Oklahoma with a rent figure, 69 have higher typical rent than McAlester.