2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Los Angeles-Anaheim, CA

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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$117,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+17.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$6,211
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$10,392
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$16,603/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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

COL 144.2
Gross Parity Income $117,300
Federal Income Tax -$16,976
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,973
State Income Tax -$6,520
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $83,306
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$28,824
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,482

EPI family budgets put living costs 17.3% higher in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $117,300 in Los Angeles. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $2,402 in Los Angeles, $10,392 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,211 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Los Angeles. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $16,603 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $55,850 in Los Angeles.

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) Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$2,402+$866+56.4%
Food & Groceries$342$367+$25+7.3%
Transportation$1,011$1,004-$7-0.7%
Healthcare$459$398-$61-13.3%
Other Necessities$582$690+$108+18.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,253+$518+29.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$866/mo (56.4%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,402/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,157/mo (64.0%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,964/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.69/hr (17.2%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $31.89/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.43/hr (23.7%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $28.35/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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$125,830+$14,820 (+13.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$135,560+$34,140 (+33.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$160,920+$27,630 (+20.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$94,360+$11,740 (+14.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$108,310+$9,410 (+9.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$132,330-$11,960 (-8.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$175,310+$6,110 (+3.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$104,930+$2,070 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$204,370+$30,560 (+17.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$73,810+$14,800 (+25.1%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$134,230+$12,590 (+10.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$109,700-$17,660 (-13.9%)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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Relocation FAQs

About $117,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Los Angeles-Anaheim, CA Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Los Angeles-Anaheim, CA 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $117,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 17.3% higher in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.