Software Developers salary in McAllen, TX
Median pay for software developers in McAllen, TX: $97,420/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $51,620 – $151,970 · about 340 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($111,055) by −$13,635 (-12%).
What it's really worth in McAllen
With McAllen's cost of living at 86 (US=100), that $97,420 has the buying power of about $113,180 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $49,371 · median home $193,978 · median rent $1,128/mo.
How McAllen ranks for this job
On raw pay, McAllen, TX is 169th of the 186 metros we hold software developers wages for. Once McAllen's cost of living is applied, it ranks 119th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — McAllen is one of the places where software developers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in McAllen
A median home in McAllen, TX costs $193,978 — about 2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,128/mo works out at 14% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where software developers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to McAllen.
| Metro | Median pay | vs McAllen | Rent vs McAllen |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $199,100 | +104% | 3.2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $172,340 | +77% | 2.9× |
| Seattle, WA | $167,030 | +71% | 2× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $154,200 | +58% | 3× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs McAllen | Rent vs McAllen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | $131,320 | +35% | 1.4× |
| Dallas, TX | $129,490 | +33% | 1.5× |
| Houston, TX | $125,720 | +29% | 1.5× |
| San Antonio, TX | $124,600 | +28% | 1.2× |
Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires software developers around McAllen
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- General Electric Aviation · Aerospace/Defense
Other jobs in McAllen
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.