2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$100,300
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

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,748
Target Market
Destination Location

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

COL 123.3
Gross Parity Income $100,300
Federal Income Tax -$13,236
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,673
State Income Tax -$4,477
Local / City Tax -$3,051
Net Annual Take-Home $71,863
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,500
Discretionary Cash Flow $52,363

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.3% higher in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $100,300 in Baltimore. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $1,625 in Baltimore, $1,068 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $7,377 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Baltimore. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $8,445 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $59,070 in Baltimore.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Baltimore-Columbia-Towson (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$1,625+$89+5.8%
Food & Groceries$342$384+$42+12.3%
Transportation$1,011$1,036+$25+2.5%
Healthcare$459$358-$101-22.0%
Other Necessities$582$556-$26-4.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,350+$615+35.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$89/mo (5.8%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $1,625/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$199/mo (11.0%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $2,006/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.07/hr (0.3%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $27.27/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.33/hr (10.2%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $25.25/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$117,040+$6,030 (+5.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$99,550-$1,870 (-1.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$138,900+$5,610 (+4.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$103,720+$4,820 (+4.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$85,160+$2,540 (+3.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$168,520-$5,290 (-3.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$157,990-$11,210 (-6.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$135,600+$8,240 (+6.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$65,590+$6,580 (+11.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$135,910-$8,380 (-5.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$117,750+$14,890 (+14.5%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$124,990+$3,350 (+2.8%)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

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

About $100,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 123.3 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Baltimore-Columbia, MD 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $100,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 123.3 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

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