2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Worcester, MA

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 Worcester, MA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$104,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+4.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,780
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$612
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,392/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

Worcester, MA

COL 128.7
Gross Parity Income $104,700
Federal Income Tax -$14,204
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,010
State Income Tax -$5,015
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $77,471
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,044
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,427

EPI family budgets put living costs 4.7% higher in Worcester, MA than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, so $100,000 in Dallas goes about as far as $104,700 in Worcester. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,536 a month in Dallas and $1,587 in Worcester, $612 a year more. 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 Worcester. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,392 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,440 in Dallas and $57,830 in Worcester.

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) Worcester (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,536$1,587+$51+3.3%
Food & Groceries$342$386+$44+12.9%
Transportation$1,011$1,085+$74+7.3%
Healthcare$459$420-$39-8.5%
Other Necessities$582$563-$19-3.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,133+$398+22.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$51/mo (3.3%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo Worcester: $1,587/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$236/mo (13.1%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo Worcester: $2,043/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.27/hr (4.7%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr Worcester: $28.47/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.48/hr (15.2%)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr Worcester: $26.40/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 Worcester Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,010$111,900+$890 (+0.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,420$100,240-$1,180 (-1.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$133,290$146,950+$13,660 (+10.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,900$100,290+$1,390 (+1.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,620$94,070+$11,450 (+13.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,810$193,890+$20,080 (+11.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$169,200$170,940+$1,740 (+1.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,290$162,810+$18,520 (+12.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$75,510+$16,500 (+28.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$127,360$104,140-$23,220 (-18.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,860$122,180+$19,320 (+18.8%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,640$125,890+$4,250 (+3.5%)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 Worcester, MA Relocation FAQs

About $104,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 128.7 in Worcester, MA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Worcester, MA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Worcester, MA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Relocation: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Worcester, MA Overview

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Worcester, MA: 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 Worcester, MA to match $100,000 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

About $104,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 128.7 in Worcester, MA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Worcester, MA cheaper than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 4.7% higher in Worcester, MA than in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.