City comparison
Houston, TX is about 300 miles (475 km) from McAllen, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 375 miles, or about 6 h 15 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Houston, TX to McAllen, TX takes about 36 min, covering roughly 300 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Houston has a population of 2,296,253, vs 142,722 in McAllen — about 16.1× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 62 sq mi for McAllen.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Houston | McAllen | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $955/mo | 29.3% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $158,700 | 48.1% higher in Houston |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $56,326 | 7.3% higher in Houston |
| Groceries index | 100.4 | 94.2 | 6.6% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 96.3 | 82.4 | 16.9% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 96.6 | 0.9% higher in McAllen |
| Healthcare index | 95.2 | 96.1 | 1.0% higher in McAllen |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Houston, you'd need $78,439 in McAllen to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
McAllen, TX is about 21.6% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 80% higher in Houston than in McAllen. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $62,751 in McAllen to keep the same standard of living.