McAllen composite
55.0 /100
Grade B · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
McAllen vs Texarkana
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX and Texarkana, TX-AR side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 55.0
- McAllen Life Score
- B
- McAllen grade
- 60.7
- Texarkana Life Score
- A-
- Texarkana grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, McAllen scores higher on 2 (safety, childcare) and Texarkana on 5 (cost of living, wages, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
McAllen vs Texarkana across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ McAllen Texarkana ◗
cost of living
95
99
wages
5
5
rent
87
99
safety
32
30
schools
40
42
childcare
74
73
environment
57
89
McAllen and Texarkana differ across eleven dimensions of livability. McAllen has a cost-of-living index of 85.9 vs Texarkana's 84.0 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $55,404 in McAllen and $56,886 in Texarkana. A 2-bedroom averages $1,060/mo vs $880/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the McAllen vs Texarkana Comparison
McAllen (TX) and Texarkana (TX) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 85.9 for McAllen against 84.0 for Texarkana, a 1.9-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,060/mo in McAllen and $880/mo in Texarkana, a $180/mo difference that compounds to $2,160 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $55,404 across 289,460 jobs in McAllen against $56,886 across 50,920 jobs in Texarkana. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in McAllen carries the same local purchasing power as $97,808 in Texarkana - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 394.7 per 100,000 residents in TX vs 394.7 in TX, with property-crime rates of 2058.2 and 2058.2 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: TX lists 9,061 public schools at a 14.7:1 student-teacher ratio, while TX lists 9,061 schools at 14.7:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $7,566/yr in the McAllen area versus $7,566/yr in Texarkana - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, McAllen and Texarkana are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Texarkana composite
60.7 /100
Grade A- · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
1.9 pts
McAllen vs Texarkana BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$180 /mo
McAllen priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
McAllen
McAllen composite (Grade B)
Texarkana
Texarkana composite (Grade A-)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | McAllen | Texarkana |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 85.9 | 84.0 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 93.7 |
| Services | 81.2 | 79.3 |
| Rents | 55.9 | 49.9 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Texarkana gives the same purchasing power as your salary in McAllen?
$
Equivalent in Texarkana:
$97,808
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (McAllen: 85.9, Texarkana: 84.0, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | McAllen | Texarkana |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $842/mo | $666/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $847/mo | $671/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,060/mo | $880/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,376/mo | $1,166/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,522/mo | $1,170/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | McAllen | Texarkana |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $55,404 | $56,886 |
| Total Employment | 289,460 | 50,920 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | McAllen (TX) | Texarkana (TX) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 394.7 | 394.7 |
| Property Crime | 2058.2 | 2058.2 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | TX | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 9,061 | 9,061 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 14.7:1 | 14.7:1 |
| Charter Schools | 11.4% | 11.4% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | TX | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $7,566/yr | $7,566/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $7,109/yr | $7,109/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $6,926/yr | $6,926/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | TX | TX |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 2,342 | 2,342 |
| Water Systems | 4,587 | 4,587 |
| Superfund Sites | 70 | 70 |
| Water Violations | 33,822 | 33,822 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | McAllen | Texarkana |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 54.0 | 49.0 |
| Good Air Days | 41.0% | 52.5% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 24 days | 0 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | TX | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 13/100 | 13/100 |
| Total Violations | 746,210 | 746,210 |
| Health-Based Violations | 162,945 | 162,945 |
| Systems with Violations | 90.2% | 90.2% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | TX | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 912 | 912 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | TX | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 64/100 | 64/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 49.0 | 49.0 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 44.7 | 44.7 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is McAllen more expensive than Texarkana? ▼
McAllen has a cost of living index of 85.9 compared to Texarkana's 84.0 (national average = 100). McAllen is 1.9 points above Texarkana on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between McAllen and Texarkana? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,060/mo in McAllen vs $880/mo in Texarkana, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $842/mo to $666/mo.
How do salaries compare between McAllen and Texarkana? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $55,404 in McAllen and $56,886 in Texarkana, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in McAllen has the same purchasing power as $97,808 in Texarkana.
Is McAllen or Texarkana safer? ▼
At the state level, TX has a violent crime rate of 394.7 per 100,000 residents compared to TX's 394.7 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 2058.2 vs 2058.2 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between McAllen and Texarkana? ▼
TX has 9,061 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 14.7:1, while TX has 9,061 schools at 14.7:1. Charter schools make up 11.4% of TX schools vs 11.4% in TX. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial