2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Madison, WI

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 Madison, WI.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$87,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-12.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,428
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,932
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,496/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

Madison, WI

COL 108.1
Gross Parity Income $87,900
Federal Income Tax -$10,508
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,724
State Income Tax -$3,709
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $66,958
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,500
Discretionary Cash Flow $50,458

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.1% lower in Madison, WI than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $87,900 in Madison. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $1,375 in Madison, $1,932 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,428 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Madison. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,496 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $58,080 in Madison.

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) Madison (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$1,375-$161-10.5%
Food & Groceries$342$387+$45+13.2%
Transportation$1,011$1,027+$16+1.6%
Healthcare$459$386-$73-15.9%
Other Necessities$582$455-$127-21.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,104+$369+21.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$161/mo (-10.5%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Madison: $1,375/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$242/mo (-13.4%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Madison: $1,565/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$3.29/hr (-12.1%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Madison: $23.91/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.35/hr (1.5%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Madison: $23.27/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 Madison Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$126,620+$15,610 (+14.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$101,190-$230 (-0.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$130,630-$2,660 (-2.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$98,990+$90 (+0.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$81,130-$1,490 (-1.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$168,900-$4,910 (-2.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$148,970-$20,230 (-12.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$146,380+$2,090 (+1.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$78,430+$19,420 (+32.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$97,170-$5,690 (-5.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$97,950-$29,410 (-23.1%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$131,640+$10,000 (+8.2%)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 Madison, WI Relocation FAQs

About $87,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 108.1 in Madison, WI, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Madison, WI: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Madison, WI to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Madison, WI Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Madison, WI: 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 Madison, WI to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $87,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 108.1 in Madison, WI, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Madison, WI cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.1% lower in Madison, WI than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.