2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Atlanta Metro, GA to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$87,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-12.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,242
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$996
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$5,238/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

COL 140.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,242
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,939
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,428
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,511
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $87,600
Federal Income Tax -$10,442
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,701
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $70,457
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $52,025

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.4% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, so $100,000 in Atlanta goes about as far as $87,600 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,619 a month in Atlanta and $1,536 in Dallas, $996 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,242 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,238 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,170 in Atlanta and $51,440 in Dallas.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,619$1,536-$83-5.1%
Food & Groceries$378$342-$36-9.5%
Transportation$1,054$1,011-$43-4.1%
Healthcare$515$459-$56-10.9%
Other Necessities$611$582-$29-4.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,088$1,735-$353-16.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$83/mo (-5.1%)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $1,619/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$45/mo (2.6%)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $1,762/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$3.83/hr (-12.3%)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $31.03/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.25/hr (-8.9%)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $25.17/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,410$111,010-$400 (-0.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$100,490$101,420+$930 (+0.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$132,960$133,290+$330 (+0.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,820$82,620-$3,200 (-3.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$103,400$98,900-$4,500 (-4.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$177,970$173,810-$4,160 (-2.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,220$102,860+$1,640 (+1.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$171,240$169,200-$2,040 (-1.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$166,920$144,290-$22,630 (-13.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,650$59,010+$360 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$108,730$127,360+$18,630 (+17.1%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,870$46,210-$660 (-1.4%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $87,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (140.3 in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Relocation: Atlanta Metro, GA to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Overview

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Atlanta Metro, GA to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to match $100,000 in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?

About $87,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (140.3 in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX cheaper than Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.4% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.