2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Los Angeles-Anaheim, CA 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$85,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-14.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$6,211
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$10,392
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$16,603/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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

COL 144.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,911
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,969
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$28,824
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,145
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $85,300
Federal Income Tax -$9,936
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,525
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $68,839
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $50,407

EPI family budgets put living costs 14.7% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, so $100,000 in Los Angeles goes about as far as $85,300 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,402 a month in Los Angeles and $1,536 in Dallas, $10,392 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,211 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $16,603 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $55,850 in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,402$1,536-$866-36.1%
Food & Groceries$367$342-$25-6.8%
Transportation$1,004$1,011+$7+0.7%
Healthcare$398$459+$61+15.3%
Other Necessities$690$582-$108-15.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,253$1,735-$518-23.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$866/mo (-36.1%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,402/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,157/mo (-39.0%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $2,964/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$4.69/hr (-14.7%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $31.89/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$5.43/hr (-19.2%)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: $28.35/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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,830$111,010-$14,820 (-11.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$135,560$101,420-$34,140 (-25.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$160,920$133,290-$27,630 (-17.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$94,360$82,620-$11,740 (-12.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$108,310$98,900-$9,410 (-8.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$132,330$144,290+$11,960 (+9.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$175,310$169,200-$6,110 (-3.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$104,930$102,860-$2,070 (-2.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$204,370$173,810-$30,560 (-15.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$73,810$59,010-$14,800 (-20.1%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$134,230$121,640-$12,590 (-9.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$109,700$127,360+$17,660 (+16.1%)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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $85,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Relocation: Los Angeles-Anaheim, CA to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Overview

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Los Angeles-Anaheim, CA 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?

About $85,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (144.2 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 14.7% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.