Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ljubljana and McAllen, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in McAllen, TX: $1,788 a month against $2,073 in Ljubljana, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ljubljana outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in McAllen, TX
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McAllen, TX Living Index

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Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,073

/mo nomad

McAllen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ljubljana and in McAllen, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ljubljana and in McAllen, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,073 in Ljubljana versus $1,788 in McAllen, TX.

Ljubljana $2,073
McAllen, TX $1,788

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,059 in Ljubljana versus $2,731 in McAllen, TX.

Ljubljana $3,059
McAllen, TX $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,045 in Ljubljana versus $3,674 in McAllen, TX.

Ljubljana $4,045
McAllen, TX $3,674

Living in Ljubljana is roughly 16% more expensive than in McAllen, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ljubljana 54% above, McAllen, TX 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.76 €14.02

$18.21 $18.21

-13.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 €59.6

$76.3 $76.3

-12.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.84

$7.93 $7.93

39.60%

Cappuccino

$2.85 €2.53

$4.53 $4.53

-37.09%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.44 $2.44

27.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.93 $1.93

2.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.56

$4.97 $4.97

-19.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$5.40 $5.40

-17.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.97 $0.97

34.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.94 $2.94

-26.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$4.36 $4.36

-29.36%

Eggs

$4.05 €3.60

$3.37 $3.37

20.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.79 €13.15

$9.87 $9.87

49.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.03 €8.92

$12.58 $12.58

-20.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.20

$15.09 $15.09

-1.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$5.14 $5.14

-57.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.39 $2.39

-27.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.28 $3.28

-30.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 €3.15

$2.06 $2.06

72.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.96 $2.96

-49.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.62 $2.62

-37.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.74 $1.74

-1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$2.09 $2.09

-60.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.48

$8.68 $8.68

-29.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.62 €6.78

$15.75 $15.75

-51.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.09 $2.09

-32.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.22 $2.22

-2.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.07 €37.42

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$4.29 $4.29

-48.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.78 $0.78

65.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.24 €17.11

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.89 $0.89

107.87%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.4K €26.1K

$27.0K $27.0K

8.80%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.0K €22.2K

$23.5K $23.5K

6.54%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$278 €248

$164 $164

69.34%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.61 €14.78

$37.59 $37.59

-55.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.72 €36.22

$66.3 $66.3

-38.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 €47.87

$44.90 $44.90

19.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.04 €21.38

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 €9.58

$12.23 $12.23

-11.94%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$658 €585

$908 $908

-27.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K €12.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €102

$78.5 $78.5

46.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €38.20

$44.89 $44.89

-4.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €95.9

$74.2 $74.2

45.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$96.6 $96.6

50.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 €970

$816 $816

33.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 €779

$669 $669

30.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,074 €1,845

$1,342 $1,342

54.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 €1,298

$1,144 $1,144

27.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,492 €5,774

$1,676 $1,676

287.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,815 €4,283

$1,700 $1,700

183.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,929 €1,716

$3,646 $3,646

-47.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

6.48

-45.68%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ljubljana: October 11, 2026

Last update for McAllen, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ljubljana

$875 42.2%

McAllen, TX

$669 37.4% 23.6% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ljubljana

$336 16.2%

McAllen, TX

$268 15% 20.1% $67

Groceries & Markets

Ljubljana

$302 14.6%

McAllen, TX

$364 20.4% 20.6% $62

Eating Out

Ljubljana

$243 11.7%

McAllen, TX

$277 15.5% 14.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Ljubljana

$185 8.9%

McAllen, TX

$132 7.4% 28.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Ljubljana

$75 3.6%

McAllen, TX

$69 3.9% 8% $6

Getting Around

Ljubljana

$57 2.8%

McAllen, TX

$8.2 * 0.5% 85.7% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,090 in Ljubljana and $816 in McAllen, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McAllen, TX pays 89% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Ljubljana vs $76.0 in McAllen, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $364 per month, with Ljubljana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🇺🇸 McAllen, TX

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

19:32 7:32 PM

7 h behind Ljubljana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,604 Capital

142,210

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ljubljana McAllen, TX 9,520 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ljubljana
McAllen, TX

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ljubljana vs McAllen, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

McAllen, TX is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in McAllen, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,090 in Ljubljana versus $816 in McAllen, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $658 in Ljubljana versus $908 in McAllen, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in McAllen, TX – a meal for two runs $76.0 versus $67.0 in Ljubljana. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,788 in McAllen, TX versus $2,073 in Ljubljana, a $3,000 budget is realistic in McAllen, TX but tight or insufficient in Ljubljana. The gap between the two cities makes McAllen, TX the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, McAllen, TX is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ljubljana, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ljubljana and McAllen, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find McAllen, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Ljubljana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.