Cost of living comparison

compared to

Carlow vs. McKinney Cost of Living Summary

Carlow is 8.8% more expensive than McKinney.

Restaurants
pay 15.6% more in Carlow
Groceries
pay 2.4% less in Carlow
Transportation
pay 60.3% more in Carlow
Housing
pay 8.9% less in Carlow
Childcare
pay 24.4% less in Carlow
Entertainment and Sports
pay 40.2% more in Carlow
Clothing
pay 39.8% more in Carlow

The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, clothing, and restaurants in Carlow are more expensive than in McKinney. Expenses including childcare, housing, and groceries are lower in Carlow.

Carlow vs. McKinney Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Carlow instead of McKinney, you would:

pay 15.6% more for restaurants

 
McKinney
Carlow
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $19.00
 
$21.27
€19.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.00
 
$13.44
€12.00
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.60
 
$2.72
€2.42

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pay 2.4% less for groceries

 
McKinney
Carlow
Bread
1 loaf
$2.75
 
$1.98
€1.77
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.14
 
$6.71
€5.99
Milk (1 gallon) $3.75
 
$6.08
€5.43

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pay 60.3% more for transportation

 
McKinney
Carlow
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.39
 
$7.64
€6.82
Monthly public transit pass $192.00
 
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,232.00
 
$39,000.39
€34,823.33

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pay 8.9% less for housing

 
McKinney
Carlow
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$68.00
 
$50.95
€45.49
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,692.50
 
$1,427.66
€1,274.76
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,400.00
 
$1,273.70
€1,137.28

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pay 24.4% less for childcare

 
McKinney
Carlow
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,333.33
 
$1,007.76
€899.83
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters ?? ??

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pay 40.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
McKinney
Carlow
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.00
 
$7.28
€6.50
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.00
 
$4.56
€4.07
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$11.00
 
$18.48
€16.50

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pay 39.8% more for clothing

 
McKinney
Carlow
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$56.00
 
$83.61
€74.65
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$28.50
 
$48.18
€43.02
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$86.25
 
$93.31
€83.32

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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