2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Topeka, KS

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 Topeka, KS.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$78,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-21.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,780
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$7,476
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,696/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

Topeka, KS

COL 96.3
Gross Parity Income $78,300
Federal Income Tax -$8,396
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,990
State Income Tax -$3,569
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $60,345
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,956
Discretionary Cash Flow $49,389

EPI family budgets put living costs 21.7% lower in Topeka, KS than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $78,300 in Topeka. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $913 in Topeka, $7,476 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,780 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Topeka. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,696 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $49,540 in Topeka.

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) Topeka (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$913-$623-40.6%
Food & Groceries$342$349+$7+2.0%
Transportation$1,011$1,056+$45+4.5%
Healthcare$459$492+$33+7.2%
Other Necessities$582$340-$242-41.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,133+$398+22.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$623/mo (-40.6%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Topeka: $913/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$635/mo (-35.1%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Topeka: $1,172/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$5.90/hr (-21.7%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Topeka: $21.30/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.53/hr (-15.4%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Topeka: $19.39/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 Topeka Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$85,080-$25,930 (-23.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$81,820-$19,600 (-19.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$111,870-$21,420 (-16.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$100,000+$1,100 (+1.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$76,280-$6,340 (-7.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$143,320-$30,490 (-17.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$154,970+$10,680 (+7.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$145,950-$23,250 (-13.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$65,520+$6,510 (+11.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$97,680-$29,680 (-23.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$66,710-$36,150 (-35.1%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$109,490-$12,150 (-10.0%)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 Topeka, KS Relocation FAQs

About $78,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 96.3 in Topeka, KS, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Topeka, KS: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Topeka, KS to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Topeka, KS Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Topeka, KS: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

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

About $78,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 96.3 in Topeka, KS, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Topeka, KS cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 21.7% lower in Topeka, KS than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.