2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Colorado Springs, CO

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 Colorado Springs, CO.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$92,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-7.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,692
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,872
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,820/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

Colorado Springs, CO

COL 114.1
Gross Parity Income $92,700
Federal Income Tax -$11,564
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,092
State Income Tax -$3,370
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $70,674
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,560
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,114

EPI family budgets put living costs 7.3% lower in Colorado Springs, CO than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $92,700 in Colorado Springs. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $1,380 in Colorado Springs, $1,872 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,692 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Colorado Springs. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,820 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $52,710 in Colorado Springs.

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) Colorado Springs (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$1,380-$156-10.2%
Food & Groceries$342$364+$22+6.4%
Transportation$1,011$1,015+$4+0.4%
Healthcare$459$439-$20-4.4%
Other Necessities$582$491-$91-15.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,043+$308+17.8%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$156/mo (-10.2%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Colorado Springs: $1,380/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$186/mo (-10.3%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Colorado Springs: $1,621/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.98/hr (-7.3%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Colorado Springs: $25.22/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.33/hr (10.2%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Colorado Springs: $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 Colorado Springs Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$120,770+$9,760 (+8.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$96,140-$5,280 (-5.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$134,280+$990 (+0.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$111,740+$12,840 (+13.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$85,000+$2,380 (+2.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$192,400+$18,590 (+10.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$177,780+$33,490 (+23.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$172,680+$3,480 (+2.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$59,210+$200 (+0.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$110,090-$17,270 (-13.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$117,850+$14,990 (+14.6%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,550$112,390+$8,840 (+8.5%)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 Colorado Springs, CO Relocation FAQs

About $92,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 114.1 in Colorado Springs, CO, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Colorado Springs, CO: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Colorado Springs, CO to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Colorado Springs, CO Overview

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

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

About $92,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 114.1 in Colorado Springs, CO, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Colorado Springs, CO cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 7.3% lower in Colorado Springs, CO than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.