McAllen, TX vs Memphis, TN
Simple answer
You'd likely save $284 a month in McAllen.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 23.9 points (McAllen 55.9, Memphis 79.8).
Texas has no tax on wages. Tennessee has no tax on wages. Combined sales tax differs by 1.4 percentage points, higher in Tennessee. The effective property tax gap is 0.86 percentage points, higher in Texas.
After a move from Texas to Tennessee, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in McAllen lines up with about $80,487 in Memphis on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
McAllen
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,017
- HUD area
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $971
- All-items price parity
- 85.9
- Goods price parity
- 93.8
- Utilities price parity
- 81.2
- Mean commute
- 22.9 min
- Median household income
- $56,720
Memphis
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,301
- HUD area
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,330
- All-items price parity
- 92.2
- Goods price parity
- 96.2
- Utilities price parity
- 74.1
- Mean commute
- 24.4 min
- Median household income
- $68,124
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$80,487
Salary in Memphis that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$81,405
Gross salary in Memphis whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$95,944
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Texas | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | No wage tax | No wage tax |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 8.2% | 9.6% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.31% | 0.45% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $5,246 a year in Texas and $1,790 in Tennessee. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Tennessee
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Texas and once in Tennessee. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
McAllenLikely eligible
MemphisLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
McAllenLikely eligible
MemphisLikely eligible
WIC
McAllenLikely eligible
MemphisLikely eligible
School meals
McAllenLikely eligible
MemphisLikely eligible
LIHEAP
McAllenMaybe
MemphisMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
McAllenLikely eligible
MemphisLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
McAllenLikely eligible
MemphisLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
McAllenLikely eligible
MemphisLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
McAllenLikely eligible
MemphisLikely eligible
SSI
McAllenUnlikely
MemphisUnlikely
| Program | McAllen | Memphis |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From McAllen
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from McAllen.
- McAllen and San Francisco · rent gap $2,680
- McAllen and San Jose · rent gap $2,255
- McAllen and Boston · rent gap $1,991
- McAllen and New York · rent gap $1,954
- McAllen and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,947
- McAllen and San Diego · rent gap $1,806
- McAllen and Miami · rent gap $1,547
- McAllen and Seattle · rent gap $1,532
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.