Cost of living in McAllen, Texas

McAllen, Texas has about 145,385 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $190,400.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Hidalgo County is $1,017 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in McAllen. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX metro area, prices sit at 85.9 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Texas does not tax wages. A typical combined sales tax is 8.2% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not McAllen's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Texas home paid 15.88¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not McAllen's bill.

For the week of October 12, 2026, EIA's all-grades gasoline price in Texas was $3.889 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,866.72 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Texas shares this price.

Among 885 places we list in Texas with a rent figure, 506 have higher typical rent than McAllen.