Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McKinney, TX and Paso Robles, CA

For one person, living costs are similar in McKinney, TX and in Paso Robles, CA: $2,789 and $2,738 a month, rent and utilities included.

135

Cost of Living Index in McKinney, TX
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McKinney, TX Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Paso Robles, CA
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Paso Robles, CA Living Index

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McKinney, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,789

/mo nomad

Paso Robles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in McKinney, TX and in Paso Robles, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,789 in McKinney, TX versus $2,738 in Paso Robles, CA.

McKinney, TX $2,789
Paso Robles, CA $2,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in McKinney, TX versus $4,319 in Paso Robles, CA.

McKinney, TX $3,710
Paso Robles, CA $4,319

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,630 in McKinney, TX versus $5,900 in Paso Robles, CA.

McKinney, TX $4,630
Paso Robles, CA $5,900

Living in McKinney, TX is roughly 2% more expensive than in Paso Robles, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: McKinney, TX 107% above, Paso Robles, CA 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.90 $18.90

$24.70 $24.70

-23.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$102 $102

-42.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$11.47 $11.47

-5.75%

Cappuccino

$5.05 $5.05

$5.27 $5.27

-4.17%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$2.44 $2.44

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.48 $1.48

20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$8.19 $8.19

-28.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.59 $7.59

$6.06 $6.06

25.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.61 $1.61

-40.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.14 $2.14

30.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.36 $3.36

-30.95%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$3.33 $3.33

22.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 $10.16

$15.18 $15.18

-33.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.51 $15.51

$5.64 $5.64

175.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 $16.84

$8.58 $8.58

96.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.23 $3.23

-5.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.07 $1.07

166.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.16 $2.16

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.00 $3.00

-12.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.39 $1.39

56.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.63 $1.63

28.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.37 $2.37

-27.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.46 $1.46

104.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.05 $11.05

$11.66 $11.66

-5.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.47 $11.47

$14.29 $14.29

-19.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.14 $2.14

-18.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.35 $3.35

7.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$5.46 $5.46

-43.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$189 $189

$67.3 $67.3

180.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$5.96 $5.96

-50.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.33 $2.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.74 $14.74

$50.2 $50.2

-70.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.35 $1.35

-31.11%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$37.4K $37.4K

-3.58%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$25.9K $25.9K

-4.53%

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

$200 $200

$364 $364

-44.89%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$58.2 $58.2

2.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$64.5 $64.5

7.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.36 $30.36

$41.94 $41.94

-27.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 $12.81

$9.84 $9.84

30.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 $11.85

$12.19 $12.19

-2.79%

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

$1,345 $1,345

$2,479 $2,479

-45.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K $30.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$49.79 $49.79

13.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.95 $28.95

$34.46 $34.46

-15.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$82.6 $82.6

6.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 $59.8

$111 $111

-46.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 $1,673

$2,093 $2,093

-20.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 $1,420

$1,299 $1,299

9.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 $2,639

$3,472 $3,472

-24.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 $1,704

$2,810 $2,810

-39.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 $2,323

$6,331 $6,331

-63.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,294 $2,294

$6,378 $6,378

-64.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,805 $5,805

$2,965 $2,965

95.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

6.47

0.62%

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

Last update for McKinney, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Paso Robles, CA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

McKinney, TX

$1.4K 50.9%

Paso Robles, CA

$1.3K 47.4% 8.5% $121

Groceries & Markets

McKinney, TX

$371 13.3%

Paso Robles, CA

$290 10.6% 21.8% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McKinney, TX

$329 11.8%

Paso Robles, CA

$486 17.8% 47.8% $157

Eating Out

McKinney, TX

$306 11%

Paso Robles, CA

$364 13.3% 18.9% $58

Getting Around

McKinney, TX

$204 * 7.3%

Paso Robles, CA

$107 3.9% 47.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

McKinney, TX

$105 3.8%

Paso Robles, CA

$125 4.6% 19.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

McKinney, TX

$54 1.9%

Paso Robles, CA

$66 2.4% 22.6% $12

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 $1,673 in McKinney, TX and $2,093 in Paso Robles, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McKinney, TX pays 96% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in McKinney, TX vs $102 in Paso Robles, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $371 vs $290, with Paso Robles, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McKinney, TX

🇺🇸 Paso Robles, CA

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

12:38 12:38 PM

2 h behind McKinney, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,690

29,793

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

McKinney, TX Paso Robles, CA 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

McKinney, TX
Paso Robles, CA

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

McKinney, TX vs Paso Robles, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

McKinney, TX and Paso Robles, CA differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,789 vs $2,738 including rent). Paso Robles, CA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 96% higher in McKinney, 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: $1,673 in McKinney, TX versus $2,093 in Paso Robles, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,789 per month in McKinney, TX versus $2,738 in Paso Robles, CA – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Paso Robles, CA runs roughly 181% less than in McKinney, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Paso Robles, CA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, McKinney, TX and Paso Robles, CA 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 Paso Robles, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in McKinney, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.