McAllen vs San Antonio
The short version
- McAllen is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 9% lower than in the San Antonio area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $190,400 in McAllen and $235,700 in San Antonio.
- Households earn more in San Antonio ($65,056 vs $61,579 median).
- McAllen has the warmer winter: January highs of 73°F vs 63°F.
- McAllen has more scorching days: 177 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 122.
- San Antonio is growing faster: +8% since 2020 vs +5.9%.
Side by side
| McAllen, TX | San Antonio, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 150,640 | 1,548,422 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.9% | +8% |
| People per square mile | 2,415 | 3,103 |
| Median age | 33.5 | 34.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33% | 29% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $61,579 | $65,056 |
| Median home value | $190,400 | $235,700 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,049 | $1,324 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 85.9 | 94.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 55.9 | 94.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $64,400 | $71,000 |
| Homeowners | 60% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.9 | 24.5 |
| Work from home | 12% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6% | 6.2% |
| Poverty rate | 20% | 17.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 73° / 53° | 63° / 41° |
| July high / low | 99° / 79° | 95° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 22 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 177 | 122 |
| Nights below freezing | 1 | 14 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.0 | 99.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 44% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +7.6% | -0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +54.5% | +29.3% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: McAllen: November to March. San Antonio: February to April and October to December.
Full monthly tables: McAllen weather by month and San Antonio weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $64,400 in McAllen and $71,000 in San Antonio. Moving from McAllen to San Antonio, you would need about $82,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between McAllen and San Antonio
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from McAllen and San Antonio.
Which would you pick?
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