2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Oklahoma City, OK

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 Oklahoma City, OK.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$81,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-18.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,955
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$5,952
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,998/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

Oklahoma City, OK

COL 100.6
Gross Parity Income $81,800
Federal Income Tax -$9,166
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,258
State Income Tax -$3,136
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $63,241
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,480
Discretionary Cash Flow $50,761

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.2% lower in Oklahoma City, OK than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $81,800 in Oklahoma City. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $1,040 in Oklahoma City, $5,952 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,955 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Oklahoma City. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,998 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $47,230 in Oklahoma City.

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) Oklahoma City (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$1,040-$496-32.3%
Food & Groceries$342$349+$7+2.0%
Transportation$1,011$1,057+$46+4.5%
Healthcare$459$437-$22-4.8%
Other Necessities$582$383-$199-34.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,065+$330+19.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$496/mo (-32.3%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Oklahoma City: $1,040/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$543/mo (-30.0%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Oklahoma City: $1,264/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$4.96/hr (-18.2%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Oklahoma City: $22.24/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.02/hr (-8.8%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Oklahoma City: $20.90/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 Oklahoma City Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$97,110-$13,900 (-12.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$82,920-$18,500 (-18.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$122,390-$10,900 (-8.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$85,400-$13,500 (-13.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$77,280-$5,340 (-6.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$137,940-$35,870 (-20.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$131,540-$37,660 (-22.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$127,110-$17,180 (-11.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$61,010+$2,000 (+3.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$104,060-$23,300 (-18.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$99,400-$3,460 (-3.4%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$102,840-$18,800 (-15.5%)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 Oklahoma City, OK Relocation FAQs

About $81,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 100.6 in Oklahoma City, OK, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Oklahoma City, OK: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Oklahoma City, OK to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Oklahoma City, OK Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Oklahoma City, OK: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Oklahoma City, OK to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $81,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 100.6 in Oklahoma City, OK, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Oklahoma City, OK cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.2% lower in Oklahoma City, OK than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.