Harlingen; Cheapest City in Us?

A recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek's website declares Harlingen Texas to be the cheapest place to live in the entire Country. I don't live in Harlingen, but I've visited the city on several occasions, and I have to say, I get the same feeling driving into the Harlingen that I get when I walk into a Macy's; I know the prices are reasonable, but there are cheaper stores in the mall.

I've lived in Rio Grande City for over ten years now, and it's impossible for me to imagine an area with a lower cost of living than Starr County. The first apartment I ever rented had a monthly price tag of $175, just to give one example.

I'm sure that their figures are solid, but the report the Bloomber article is based on was put together in Arlington, Virginia, by people who (I assume) have never set foot in the Rio Grande Valley. 

If living on a budget has taught me anything over the past few years, it's that the numbers on paper rarely accurately apply in the "real world" when it comes to something as unstable as living expenses.