McAllen, TX vs Chicago, IL
Moving from McAllen to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($193,978 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
McAllen vs Chicago at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in McAllen, TX, you'd need about $119,066 in Chicago, IL (+$19,066).
Livability — McAllen, TX: 78 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 5,411 sqft in McAllen vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($92 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | McAllen, TX | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,536 | $27,192 | +$13,656 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $5,215 | +$569 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,550 | −$125 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $2,208 | +$372 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,900 | −$1,700 |
| Taxes | $4,917 | $14,141 | +$9,224 |
| Total | $32,211 | $54,206 | +$21,996 |
Side by side
| Metric | McAllen, TX | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 86.1 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.61% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.90 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $193,978 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.6% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $92 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,128 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 1.82% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |