2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Madison, WI 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 Madison, WI to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$113,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+13.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,428
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,932
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,496/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

Madison, WI

COL 108.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,428
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,752
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,500
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,252
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $113,700
Federal Income Tax -$16,184
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,698
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $88,818
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $70,386

EPI family budgets put living costs 13.7% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Madison, WI, so $100,000 in Madison goes about as far as $113,700 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,375 a month in Madison and $1,536 in Dallas, $1,932 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,428 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Dallas. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,496 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $58,080 in Madison 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 Madison (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,375$1,536+$161+11.7%
Food & Groceries$387$342-$45-11.6%
Transportation$1,027$1,011-$16-1.6%
Healthcare$386$459+$73+18.9%
Other Necessities$455$582+$127+27.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,104$1,735-$369-17.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$161/mo (11.7%)
Madison: $1,375/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$242/mo (15.5%)
Madison: $1,565/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.29/hr (13.8%)
Madison: $23.91/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.35/hr (-1.5%)
Madison: $23.27/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 Madison Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,620$111,010-$15,610 (-12.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,190$101,420+$230 (+0.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,630$133,290+$2,660 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,990$98,900-$90 (-0.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$81,130$82,620+$1,490 (+1.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,900$173,810+$4,910 (+2.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$148,970$169,200+$20,230 (+13.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$146,380$144,290-$2,090 (-1.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$78,430$59,010-$19,420 (-24.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,170$102,860+$5,690 (+5.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$97,950$127,360+$29,410 (+30.0%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,640$121,640-$10,000 (-7.6%)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

Madison, WI to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $113,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.1 in Madison, WI, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Madison, WI to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Madison, WI
Relocation: Madison, WI to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Overview

Madison, WI 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 Madison, WI?

About $113,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.1 in Madison, WI, 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 Madison, WI?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 13.7% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Madison, WI. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.