Is Brownsville cheaper than McAllen?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Brownsville and McAllen metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Brownsville or McAllen?

McAllen has the higher median household income — $56,720 versus $53,267 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Brownsville or McAllen?

A paycheck stretches further in McAllen. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $66,034 there versus $61,956 in Brownsville.

Which has cheaper rent, Brownsville or McAllen?

Rents are close — $966/mo in the Brownsville metro versus $971/mo in McAllen (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Brownsville vs McAllen

Metro-area medians — Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Metro Area vs McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Brownsville comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Brownsville and McAllen cost about the same to live in, but McAllen households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in McAllen.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Brownsville, TX

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$71,315

real value after local prices

McAllen, TX

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$71,382

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, McAllen leaves you about $66/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Brownsville

McAllen

Livability (CityLedger)

27/100

22/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

86.0

85.9

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$61,956

$66,034

Median household income

$53,267

$56,720

Median rent

$966/mo

$971/mo

Median home value

$163,300

$164,200

Unemployment

4.9%

6.1%

Bachelor's degree or higher

23.8%

21.3%

Average commute

21.6 min

22.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

75°F

Choose Brownsville for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Brownsville profile →

Choose McAllen for

+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full McAllen profile →

Brownsville vs McAllen — frequently asked

Is Brownsville cheaper than McAllen?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Brownsville and McAllen metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Brownsville or McAllen?: McAllen has the higher median household income — $56,720 versus $53,267 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Brownsville or McAllen?: A paycheck stretches further in McAllen. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $66,034 there versus $61,956 in Brownsville.
Which has cheaper rent, Brownsville or McAllen?: Rents are close — $966/mo in the Brownsville metro versus $971/mo in McAllen (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).