2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Bozeman, MT

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 Bozeman, MT.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$111,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+11.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,289
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$912
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,201/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

Bozeman, MT

COL 136.8
Gross Parity Income $111,300
Federal Income Tax -$15,656
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,514
State Income Tax -$4,928
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $82,202
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,344
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,858

EPI family budgets put living costs 11.3% higher in Bozeman, MT than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $111,300 in Bozeman. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $1,612 in Bozeman, $912 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,289 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Bozeman. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,201 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $54,830 in Bozeman.

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) Bozeman (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$1,612+$76+4.9%
Food & Groceries$342$401+$59+17.3%
Transportation$1,011$1,159+$148+14.6%
Healthcare$459$468+$9+2.0%
Other Necessities$582$574-$8-1.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,092+$357+20.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$76/mo (4.9%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Bozeman: $1,612/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$302/mo (16.7%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Bozeman: $2,109/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.06/hr (11.3%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Bozeman: $30.26/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.34/hr (18.9%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Bozeman: $27.26/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 Bozeman Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$103,210-$7,800 (-7.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$99,310-$2,110 (-2.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$126,110-$7,180 (-5.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$99,090+$190 (+0.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$77,400-$5,220 (-6.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$162,680-$11,130 (-6.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$123,750-$20,540 (-14.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$136,990-$32,210 (-19.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$78,230+$19,220 (+32.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$77,000-$50,360 (-39.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$115,130+$12,270 (+11.9%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,550$106,840+$3,290 (+3.2%)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 Bozeman, MT Relocation FAQs

About $111,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 136.8 in Bozeman, MT, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Bozeman, MT: 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 Bozeman, MT to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $111,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 136.8 in Bozeman, MT, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Bozeman, MT cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 11.3% higher in Bozeman, MT than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.