2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lincoln, NE 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 Lincoln, NE to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$124,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+24.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,324
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,654/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

Lincoln, NE

COL 98.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,670
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,510
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,108
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,402
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $124,400
Federal Income Tax -$18,590
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,517
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $96,293
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,861

EPI family budgets put living costs 24.4% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Lincoln, NE, so $100,000 in Lincoln goes about as far as $124,400 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,009 a month in Lincoln and $1,536 in Dallas, $6,324 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,670 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,654 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,800 in Lincoln 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 Lincoln (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,009$1,536+$527+52.2%
Food & Groceries$360$342-$18-5.0%
Transportation$1,000$1,011+$11+1.1%
Healthcare$544$459-$85-15.6%
Other Necessities$365$582+$217+59.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,041$1,735-$306-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$527/mo (52.2%)
Lincoln: $1,009/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$577/mo (46.9%)
Lincoln: $1,230/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.34/hr (24.4%)
Lincoln: $21.86/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.39/hr (6.5%)
Lincoln: $21.53/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 Lincoln Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$92,780$111,010+$18,230 (+19.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$87,530$101,420+$13,890 (+15.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,690$133,290+$31,600 (+31.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$64,710$98,900+$34,190 (+52.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$65,170$82,620+$17,450 (+26.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$130,340$173,810+$43,470 (+33.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,150$169,200+$38,050 (+29.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,430$144,290+$23,860 (+19.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,680$59,010-$1,670 (-2.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$80,370$127,360+$46,990 (+58.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$68,140$102,860+$34,720 (+51.0%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$106,640$121,640+$15,000 (+14.1%)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

Lincoln, NE to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $124,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.9 in Lincoln, NE, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Lincoln, NE to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Lincoln, NE
Relocation: Lincoln, NE to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Overview

Lincoln, NE 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 Lincoln, NE?

About $124,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.9 in Lincoln, NE, 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 Lincoln, NE?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 24.4% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Lincoln, NE. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.