2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Huntington, WV-KY-OH

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 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$83,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-16.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,145
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$8,064
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,919/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

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

COL 102.8
Gross Parity Income $83,600
Federal Income Tax -$9,562
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,395
State Income Tax -$3,095
Local / City Tax -$260
Net Annual Take-Home $64,288
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,368
Discretionary Cash Flow $53,920

EPI family budgets put living costs 16.4% lower in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $83,600 in Huntington. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $864 in Huntington, $8,064 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,145 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Huntington. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,919 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $44,600 in Huntington.

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) Huntington-Ashland (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$864-$672-43.8%
Food & Groceries$342$324-$18-5.3%
Transportation$1,011$1,010-$1-0.1%
Healthcare$459$630+$171+37.3%
Other Necessities$582$363-$219-37.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,080+$345+19.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$672/mo (-43.8%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Huntington-Ashland: $864/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$801/mo (-44.3%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Huntington-Ashland: $1,006/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$4.47/hr (-16.4%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Huntington-Ashland: $22.73/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.55/hr (-11.1%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Huntington-Ashland: $20.37/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 Huntington-Ashland Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$77,350-$33,660 (-30.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$81,010-$20,410 (-20.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$110,780-$22,510 (-16.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$79,590-$19,310 (-19.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$70,840-$11,780 (-14.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$128,020-$45,790 (-26.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$107,470-$36,820 (-25.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$106,010-$63,190 (-37.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$63,620+$4,610 (+7.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$96,960-$30,400 (-23.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$88,710-$14,150 (-13.8%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$106,120-$15,520 (-12.8%)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 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Relocation FAQs

About $83,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 102.8 in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Huntington, WV-KY-OH Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH: 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 Huntington, WV-KY-OH 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 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $83,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 102.8 in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 16.4% lower in Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.