2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Fargo, ND-MN to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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 Fargo, ND-MN to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$142,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+42.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$669
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,596
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$6,927/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

Fargo, ND-MN

COL 86.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$669
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $78,511
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,836
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,675
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $142,600
Federal Income Tax -$22,958
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,909
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $108,733
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $90,301

EPI family budgets put living costs 42.6% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Fargo, ND-MN, so $100,000 in Fargo goes about as far as $142,600 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $903 a month in Fargo and $1,536 in Dallas, $7,596 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $669 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,927 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,050 in Fargo 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 Fargo (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$903$1,536+$633+70.1%
Food & Groceries$361$342-$19-5.3%
Transportation$1,033$1,011-$22-2.1%
Healthcare$399$459+$60+15.0%
Other Necessities$328$582+$254+77.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,791$1,735-$56-3.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$633/mo (70.1%)
Fargo: $903/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$703/mo (63.7%)
Fargo: $1,104/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$8.13/hr (42.6%)
Fargo: $19.07/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.44/hr (24.0%)
Fargo: $18.48/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 Fargo Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,410$111,010+$14,600 (+15.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,120$101,420+$19,300 (+23.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$105,980$133,290+$27,310 (+25.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,430$98,900+$1,470 (+1.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,420$82,620+$6,200 (+8.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$152,990$173,810+$20,820 (+13.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$136,970$169,200+$32,230 (+23.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,990$144,290+$24,300 (+20.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,950$59,010-$17,940 (-23.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$78,840$127,360+$48,520 (+61.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$90,220$102,860+$12,640 (+14.0%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,830$103,550+$720 (+0.7%)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

Fargo, ND-MN to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $142,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (86.2 in Fargo, ND-MN, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Fargo, ND-MN to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Fargo, ND-MN
Relocation: Fargo, ND-MN to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Overview

Fargo, ND-MN to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to match $100,000 in Fargo, ND-MN?

About $142,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (86.2 in Fargo, ND-MN, 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 Fargo, ND-MN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 42.6% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Fargo, ND-MN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.