2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lexington-Fayette, KY 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$126,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+26.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,132
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,972
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,160/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

Lexington-Fayette, KY

COL 96.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,382
Local / City Tax -$2,750
Net Annual Take-Home $73,048
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,460
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,588
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $126,900
Federal Income Tax -$19,190
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,708
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $98,002
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $79,570

EPI family budgets put living costs 26.9% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Lexington-Fayette, KY, so $100,000 in Lexington goes about as far as $126,900 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,205 a month in Lexington and $1,536 in Dallas, $3,972 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,132 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,160 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,620 in Lexington 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 Lexington-Fayette (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,205$1,536+$331+27.5%
Food & Groceries$343$342-$1-0.3%
Transportation$1,030$1,011-$19-1.8%
Healthcare$444$459+$15+3.4%
Other Necessities$354$582+$228+64.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,246$1,735-$511-22.8%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$331/mo (27.5%)
Lexington-Fayette: $1,205/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$391/mo (27.6%)
Lexington-Fayette: $1,416/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.76/hr (26.9%)
Lexington-Fayette: $21.44/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.50/hr (12.2%)
Lexington-Fayette: $20.42/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 Lexington-Fayette Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$80,440$111,010+$30,570 (+38.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$79,040$101,420+$22,380 (+28.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,510$133,290+$9,780 (+7.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,520$98,900+$14,380 (+17.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,780$82,620+$4,840 (+6.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,160$173,810+$29,650 (+20.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,860$144,290+$19,430 (+15.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$135,760$169,200+$33,440 (+24.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,320$59,010+$1,690 (+2.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$79,610$127,360+$47,750 (+60.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,190$102,860+$3,670 (+3.7%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$44,340$46,210+$1,870 (+4.2%)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

Lexington-Fayette, KY to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $126,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Lexington-Fayette, KY, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Lexington-Fayette, KY to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Lexington-Fayette, KY
Relocation: Lexington-Fayette, KY to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Overview

Lexington-Fayette, KY to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Lexington-Fayette, KY to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY?

About $126,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.9 in Lexington-Fayette, KY, 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 26.9% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Lexington-Fayette, KY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.