Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McAllen, TX and Ljubljana

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.

87

Cost of Living Index in McAllen, TX
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McAllen, TX Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index

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McAllen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,788

/mo nomad

Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in McAllen, TX costs roughly 14% less than in Ljubljana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 $18.21

$15.76 €14.02

15.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$67.0 €59.6

13.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 $7.93

$11.07 €9.84

-28.36%

Cappuccino

$4.53 $4.53

$2.85 €2.53

58.95%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$3.10 €2.76

-21.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.98 €1.76

-2.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.01 €3.56

23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 $5.40

$4.44 €3.95

21.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.30 €1.16

-25.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.17 €1.93

35.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.08 €2.74

41.56%

Eggs

$3.37 $3.37

$4.05 €3.60

-16.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 $9.87

$14.79 €13.15

-33.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.58 $12.58

$10.03 €8.92

25.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$14.84 €13.20

1.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.19 €1.95

134.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.74 €1.55

37.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.27 €2.02

44.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.55 €3.15

-41.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.50 €1.34

97.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.63 €1.45

60.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.71 €1.52

1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.83 €0.74

151.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.68 $8.68

$6.16 €5.48

40.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$7.62 €6.78

106.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.42 €1.26

47.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.16 €1.92

2.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.07 €37.42

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.21 €1.97

94.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.29 €1.15

-39.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.24 €17.11

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.85 €1.65

-51.89%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$29.4K €26.1K

-8.09%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$25.0K €22.2K

-6.14%

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

$164 $164

$278 €248

-40.95%

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

$37.59 $37.59

$16.61 €14.78

126.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$40.72 €36.22

62.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.90 $44.90

$53.8 €47.87

-16.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.04 €21.38

Cinema Ticket

$12.23 $12.23

$10.77 €9.58

13.56%

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

$908 $908

$658 €585

38.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K €12.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.5 $78.5

$115 €102

-31.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.89 $44.89

$42.95 €38.20

4.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 $74.2

$108 €95.9

-31.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 $96.6

$145 €129

-33.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 $816

$1,090 €970

-25.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 $669

$875 €779

-23.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 $1,342

$2,074 €1,845

-35.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 $1,144

$1,459 €1,298

-21.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,676 $1,676

$6,492 €5,774

-74.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,700 $1,700

$4,815 €4,283

-64.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,646 $3,646

$1,929 €1,716

89.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

3.52

84.09%

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

Last update for McAllen, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ljubljana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

McAllen, TX

$669 37.4%

Ljubljana

$875 42.2% 30.8% $206

Groceries & Markets

McAllen, TX

$364 20.4%

Ljubljana

$302 14.6% 17.1% $62

Eating Out

McAllen, TX

$277 15.5%

Ljubljana

$243 11.7% 12.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McAllen, TX

$268 15%

Ljubljana

$336 16.2% 25.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

McAllen, TX

$132 7.4%

Ljubljana

$185 8.9% 39.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

McAllen, TX

$69 3.9%

Ljubljana

$75 3.6% 8.7% $6

Getting Around

McAllen, TX

$8.2 * 0.5%

Ljubljana

$57 2.8% 600% $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 $816 in McAllen, TX and $1,090 in Ljubljana. 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: $76.0 in McAllen, TX vs $67.0 in Ljubljana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $302 per month, with Ljubljana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McAllen, TX

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

01:46 1:46 AM

7 h ahead of McAllen, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,210

285,604 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

McAllen, TX
Ljubljana

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

McAllen, TX vs Ljubljana: 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.

Average pay runs 89% higher in McAllen, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Childcare runs $908 in McAllen, TX versus $658 in Ljubljana. 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, McAllen, TX and Ljubljana 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.