2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Birmingham, AL 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 Birmingham, AL to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$113,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+13.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,102
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,276
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,826/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

Birmingham, AL

COL 108.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,102
Local / City Tax -$1,000
Net Annual Take-Home $74,079
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,156
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,923
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $113,400
Federal Income Tax -$16,118
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,675
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $88,607
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $70,175

EPI family budgets put living costs 13.4% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Birmingham, AL, so $100,000 in Birmingham goes about as far as $113,400 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,263 a month in Birmingham and $1,536 in Dallas, $3,276 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,102 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,826 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,770 in Birmingham 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 Birmingham (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,263$1,536+$273+21.6%
Food & Groceries$374$342-$32-8.6%
Transportation$1,047$1,011-$36-3.4%
Healthcare$489$459-$30-6.1%
Other Necessities$426$582+$156+36.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,160$1,735-$425-19.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$273/mo (21.6%)
Birmingham: $1,263/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$432/mo (31.4%)
Birmingham: $1,375/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.21/hr (13.4%)
Birmingham: $23.99/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.78/hr (8.4%)
Birmingham: $21.14/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 Birmingham Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,560$111,010-$12,550 (-10.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,680$101,420+$22,740 (+28.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$125,410$133,290+$7,880 (+6.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$78,660$82,620+$3,960 (+5.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,820$98,900-$1,920 (-1.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$140,230$173,810+$33,580 (+23.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$153,930$169,200+$15,270 (+9.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,740$144,290+$24,550 (+20.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$56,630$59,010+$2,380 (+4.2%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$100,500$121,640+$21,140 (+21.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$94,330$127,360+$33,030 (+35.0%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,170$103,550+$1,380 (+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

Birmingham, AL to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $113,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.5 in Birmingham, AL, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Birmingham, AL to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Birmingham, AL
Relocation: Birmingham, AL to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Overview

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

About $113,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.5 in Birmingham, AL, 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 Birmingham, AL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 13.4% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Birmingham, AL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.