2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Denver-Aurora, 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$111,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+11.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,761
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,540
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,301/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

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

COL 137.1
Gross Parity Income $111,500
Federal Income Tax -$15,700
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,530
State Income Tax -$4,198
Local / City Tax -$69
Net Annual Take-Home $83,004
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,972
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,032

EPI family budgets put living costs 11.5% higher in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $111,500 in Denver. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $1,831 in Denver, $3,540 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,761 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Denver. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,301 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $62,320 in Denver.

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) Denver-Aurora-Centennial (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$1,831+$295+19.2%
Food & Groceries$342$384+$42+12.3%
Transportation$1,011$1,047+$36+3.6%
Healthcare$459$436-$23-5.0%
Other Necessities$582$628+$46+7.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,048+$313+18.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$295/mo (19.2%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $1,831/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$362/mo (20.0%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $2,169/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.12/hr (11.5%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $30.32/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.21/hr (22.7%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $28.13/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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$142,330+$31,320 (+28.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$101,130-$290 (-0.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$137,610+$4,320 (+3.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$116,740+$17,840 (+18.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$100,020+$17,400 (+21.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$203,340+$29,530 (+17.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$193,400+$24,200 (+14.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$181,580+$37,290 (+25.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$63,150+$4,140 (+7.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$102,620-$240 (-0.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$160,520+$33,160 (+26.0%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,550$128,850+$25,300 (+24.4%)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

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Relocation FAQs

About $111,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 137.1 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Denver-Aurora, CO Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 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 Denver-Aurora, CO 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $111,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 137.1 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 11.5% higher in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.