McAllen, TX vs Miami, FL
Moving from McAllen to Miami? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($193,978 → $475,622 median home) and taxes.
McAllen vs Miami 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 $130,221 in Miami, FL (+$30,221).
Livability — McAllen, TX: 78 · Miami, FL: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 5,411 sqft in McAllen vs 1,945 sqft in Miami ($92 vs $257 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | McAllen, TX | Miami, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,536 | $32,316 | +$18,780 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $5,091 | +$445 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $4,800 | +$1,125 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $1,656 | −$180 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $4,200 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $4,917 | $5,772 | +$855 |
| Total | $32,211 | $53,835 | +$21,625 |
Side by side
| Metric | McAllen, TX | Miami, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 86.1 | 112.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.61% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.90 | $6.38 |
| Median home price | $193,978 | $475,622 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.6% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $92 | $257 |
| Median rent | $1,128 | $2,693 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.82% | 0.90% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |