2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Nashville-Davidson, TN

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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$107,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+7.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,368
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,368/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

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

COL 132.5
Gross Parity Income $107,700
Federal Income Tax -$14,864
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,239
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $84,597
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,800
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,797

EPI family budgets put living costs 7.7% higher in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $107,700 in Nashville. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $1,650 in Nashville, $1,368 a year more. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,368 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $50,390 in Nashville.

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) Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$1,650+$114+7.4%
Food & Groceries$342$388+$46+13.5%
Transportation$1,011$1,078+$67+6.6%
Healthcare$459$519+$60+13.1%
Other Necessities$582$614+$32+5.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$114/mo (7.4%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin: $1,650/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$9/mo (-0.5%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin: $1,798/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.10/hr (7.7%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin: $29.30/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.59/hr (2.6%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin: $23.51/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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$119,990+$8,980 (+8.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$84,040-$17,380 (-17.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$126,610-$6,680 (-5.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$85,990-$12,910 (-13.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$78,080-$4,540 (-5.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$165,970-$7,840 (-4.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$156,860-$12,340 (-7.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$131,600-$12,690 (-8.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$63,340+$4,330 (+7.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$102,640-$220 (-0.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$81,310-$46,050 (-36.2%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$116,480-$5,160 (-4.2%)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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Relocation FAQs

About $107,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 132.5 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Nashville-Davidson, TN Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX to Nashville-Davidson, TN 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $107,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 132.5 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 7.7% higher in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.