2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Denver-Aurora, CO to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$89,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-10.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,761
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$3,540
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$7,301/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

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

COL 137.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,692
Local / City Tax -$69
Net Annual Take-Home $75,419
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,972
Discretionary Cash Flow $53,447
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $89,700
Federal Income Tax -$10,904
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,862
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $71,934
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $53,502

EPI family budgets put living costs 10.3% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, so $100,000 in Denver goes about as far as $89,700 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,831 a month in Denver and $1,536 in Dallas, $3,540 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,761 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,301 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $62,320 in Denver and $51,440 in Dallas.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Denver-Aurora-Centennial (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,831$1,536-$295-16.1%
Food & Groceries$384$342-$42-10.9%
Transportation$1,047$1,011-$36-3.4%
Healthcare$436$459+$23+5.3%
Other Necessities$628$582-$46-7.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,048$1,735-$313-15.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$295/mo (-16.1%)
Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $1,831/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$362/mo (-16.7%)
Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $2,169/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$3.12/hr (-10.3%)
Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $30.32/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$5.21/hr (-18.5%)
Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $28.13/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $22.92/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Denver-Aurora-Centennial Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$142,330$111,010-$31,320 (-22.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,130$101,420+$290 (+0.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$137,610$133,290-$4,320 (-3.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$116,740$98,900-$17,840 (-15.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$100,020$82,620-$17,400 (-17.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$203,340$173,810-$29,530 (-14.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$193,400$169,200-$24,200 (-12.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$181,580$144,290-$37,290 (-20.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$63,150$59,010-$4,140 (-6.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,620$102,860+$240 (+0.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$160,520$127,360-$33,160 (-20.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,850$103,550-$25,300 (-19.6%)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

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $89,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (137.1 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Relocation: Denver-Aurora, CO to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Overview

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Denver-Aurora, CO to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to match $100,000 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?

About $89,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (137.1 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX cheaper than Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 10.3% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.