McAllen, TX vs Seattle, WA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $1,532 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 95.4 points (McAllen 55.9, Seattle 151.3).
Texas has no tax on wages. Washington has no tax on wages. Combined sales tax differs by 1.3 percentage points, higher in Washington. The effective property tax gap is 0.53 percentage points, higher in Texas.
After a move from Texas to Washington, these benefit results change for a family of four at $40,000 and a single adult at $18,000: Marketplace premium tax credits, Medicaid and CHIP.
A $75,000 salary in McAllen lines up with about $97,037 in Seattle 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
Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,549
- HUD area
- Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,050
- All-items price parity
- 111.1
- Goods price parity
- 104.0
- Utilities price parity
- 92.8
- Mean commute
- 30.0 min
- Median household income
- $112,388
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.
$97,037
Salary in Seattle that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$100,725
Gross salary in Seattle whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$187,979
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 | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | No wage tax | No wage tax |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 8.2% | 9.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.31% | 0.79% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $5,246 a year in Texas and $3,141 in Washington. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Washington
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Texas and once in Washington. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
McAllenLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
McAllenLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
WIC
McAllenLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
School meals
McAllenLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
LIHEAP
McAllenMaybe
SeattleMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
McAllenLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
McAllenLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
McAllenLikely eligible
SeattleUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
McAllenLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
SSI
McAllenUnlikely
SeattleUnlikely
| Program | McAllen | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
Marketplace premium tax credits changes. In McAllen the result is “Likely inside the 2026 subsidy range.” In Seattle it is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” Washington expanded Medicaid, and this income is in the Medicaid range. Marketplace subsidies are usually not the program in that case.
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 Urban Honolulu · rent gap $1,525
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.