Texas Border Business
(McAllen, TX) The City of McAllen was recently ranked as having the lowest Cost of Living Index amongst 261 participating urban areas by C2ER – The Council for Community and Economic Research, an economic think tank in its last quarterly report. The rankings for the Cost of Living Index, which is the after-tax cost for a professional/managerial standard of living ranged from more than twice the national average in New York (Manhattan) NY to almost 25 percent below the national average in McAllen, TX.
“For those of us who live in McAllen, not only do we know that we have a very low cost of living, we also know that we enjoy a very good quality of life here in our community,” said City of McAllen Mayor Jim Darling. “Various factors contribute to this ranking, not least of which are a concentrated effort by government and private entities from a multitude of industries that keep costs down and service and goods high.”
According to the report, the Cost of Living Index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income quintile. The methodology is based on more than 90,000 prices covering 60 different items for which prices are collected quarterly by chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and university applied economic centers in each participating urban area. The composite index is based on six component categories that were researched: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services.
Founded in 1961, the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) is a membership organization that promotes excellence in community and economic research by working to improve data availability, enhance data quality, and foster learning about regional economic analytic methods. C2ER accomplishes this mission by: conducting training, advocacy, and research; delivering innovative products and services for researchers; and developing professional networks.
C2ER’s 500+ members span a broad range of specialty skills and collectively touch all aspects of community and economic development in the U.S. and Canada. They include research professionals from: chambers of commerce; economic development organizations; government agencies; universities; utility companies; workforce development boards; community development organizations; and consultants and data providers.
The Ten Most and Least Expensive Urban Areas in the
Cost of Living Index (COLI)-Third Quarter 2016 National Average for 261 Urban Areas 
