What it's like to live in Harlingen
Harlingen is a smaller city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Harlingen deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a poverty rate above the national average, and very hot summers.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- High poverty rate
- Very hot summers
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Harlingen compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Harlingen
Based on Harlingen's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,856
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $37,120 a year
- 43% of Harlingen renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$28,120
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $14,060
- Homes cost 2.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 34% below US
$928/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $928 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $140,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $140,600 · 43% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 19% above US
5.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.1%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 30% below US
231 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2298/100k · Harlingen Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 31% below US
18 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 17.9 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 97°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 53°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
4 hospitals
There are 4 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 37% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
38 public schools inside the boundary
There are 38 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park (19 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Harlingen's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($928/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and people who struggle with heat.
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