2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Baltimore-Columbia, MD 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$99,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-0.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$7,377
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,068
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$8,445/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

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

COL 123.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,386
Local / City Tax -$2,990
Net Annual Take-Home $71,803
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,500
Discretionary Cash Flow $52,303
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $99,700
Federal Income Tax -$13,104
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,627
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $78,969
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,537

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.3% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, so $100,000 in Baltimore goes about as far as $99,700 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,625 a month in Baltimore and $1,536 in Dallas, $1,068 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $7,377 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $8,445 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $59,070 in Baltimore 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,625$1,536-$89-5.5%
Food & Groceries$384$342-$42-10.9%
Transportation$1,036$1,011-$25-2.4%
Healthcare$358$459+$101+28.2%
Other Necessities$556$582+$26+4.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,350$1,735-$615-26.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$89/mo (-5.5%)
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $1,625/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$199/mo (-9.9%)
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $2,006/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.07/hr (-0.3%)
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $27.27/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.33/hr (-9.2%)
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $25.25/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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,040$111,010-$6,030 (-5.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,550$101,420+$1,870 (+1.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$138,900$133,290-$5,610 (-4.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$103,720$98,900-$4,820 (-4.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,160$82,620-$2,540 (-3.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,520$173,810+$5,290 (+3.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$157,990$169,200+$11,210 (+7.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$135,600$127,360-$8,240 (-6.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$65,590$59,010-$6,580 (-10.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,910$144,290+$8,380 (+6.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$117,750$102,860-$14,890 (-12.6%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,990$121,640-$3,350 (-2.7%)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

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $99,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.3 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Relocation: Baltimore-Columbia, MD to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Overview

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Baltimore-Columbia, MD 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?

About $99,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.3 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 0.3% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.