2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Billings, MT to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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 Billings, MT to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$116,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+16.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,289
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,848
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$559/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

Billings, MT

COL 105.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,289
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,891
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,584
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,307
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $116,300
Federal Income Tax -$16,756
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,897
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $90,647
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $72,215

EPI family budgets put living costs 16.3% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Billings, MT, so $100,000 in Billings goes about as far as $116,300 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,132 a month in Billings and $1,536 in Dallas, $4,848 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,289 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $559 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,060 in Billings 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 Billings (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,132$1,536+$404+35.7%
Food & Groceries$351$342-$9-2.6%
Transportation$1,076$1,011-$65-6.0%
Healthcare$374$459+$85+22.7%
Other Necessities$424$582+$158+37.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,092$1,735-$357-17.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$404/mo (35.7%)
Billings: $1,132/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$375/mo (26.2%)
Billings: $1,432/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.81/hr (16.3%)
Billings: $23.39/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.16/hr (5.3%)
Billings: $21.76/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 Billings Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,980$111,010+$14,030 (+14.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,300$101,420+$19,120 (+23.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$100,440$133,290+$32,850 (+32.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,540$98,900+$13,360 (+15.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,780$82,620+$6,840 (+9.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,280$173,810+$44,530 (+34.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,970$144,290+$26,320 (+22.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$137,240$169,200+$31,960 (+23.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$80,980$59,010-$21,970 (-27.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$91,920$127,360+$35,440 (+38.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,060$102,860+$3,800 (+3.8%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$100,220$103,550+$3,330 (+3.3%)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

Billings, MT to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $116,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.8 in Billings, MT, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Billings, MT to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Billings, MT
Relocation: Billings, MT to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Overview

Billings, MT to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to match $100,000 in Billings, MT?

About $116,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.8 in Billings, MT, 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 Billings, MT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 16.3% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Billings, MT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.