Relocation guide
What it costs, what the weather is like, schools, outdoors and the honest pros and cons, from public data.
Population
143,789
Median age 34
Median household income
$60,165
Median rent
$1,017/mo
Median home value
$173,800
Schools
55
8 districts
Summer high / winter low
100° / 53°
Pros and cons come from comparisons with US medians and the city’s 30-year weather normals; they leave out things numbers can’t capture.
McAllen spans 3 zip codes. Median home values range from $130,100 to $203,900 by zip.
Compare zip codes
A DRIVE AROUND TOWN
Mileage Mike Travels’ recorded May 2023 drive through McAllen, with sampled scenes on Jackson Avenue and South and North 10th Street. It is not a live traffic camera; streets and businesses may have changed.
Watch on YouTube ↗
LOCAL FOOD · YOUTUBE SHORT
Fork It’s short visit to El Tranvía shows the restaurant’s interior counter and food-service setting in McAllen. This is a creator recording, not a current menu or opening-hours check.
Watch on YouTube ↗It depends on what you need. Homes cost 43% less than the US median ($173,800). Rent takes only about 20% of the median household income. On the other hand: Household incomes are 23% below the US median ($60,165). Property taxes are high: about 1.78% of home value a year (US 0.98%).
The median household earns $60,165. Rent at the median ($1,017/month) is about 20% of that; a common rule of thumb is to keep rent under 30% of income, which means earning about $40,680 a year.
55 public and private schools across 8 districts. See the schools page for each school’s grades and contact details.
Highs average 100°F in August and lows 53°F in January. The most comfortable months are January, February, December.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates; NOAA climate normals; NCES schools; OpenStreetMap parks; Recreation.gov.