2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Memphis, TN-MS-AR 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$115,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+15.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,140
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,140/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

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

COL 106.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,292
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,888
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $115,100
Federal Income Tax -$16,492
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,805
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $89,803
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $71,371

EPI family budgets put living costs 15.1% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Memphis, TN-MS-AR, so $100,000 in Memphis goes about as far as $115,100 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,191 a month in Memphis and $1,536 in Dallas, $4,140 a year more. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,140 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,890 in Memphis 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 Memphis (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,191$1,536+$345+29.0%
Food & Groceries$362$342-$20-5.5%
Transportation$1,039$1,011-$28-2.7%
Healthcare$487$459-$28-5.7%
Other Necessities$456$582+$126+27.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$345/mo (29.0%)
Memphis: $1,191/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$506/mo (38.9%)
Memphis: $1,301/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.56/hr (15.1%)
Memphis: $23.64/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.55/hr (12.5%)
Memphis: $20.37/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 Memphis Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,510$111,010+$8,500 (+8.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,500$101,420+$19,920 (+24.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$125,580$133,290+$7,710 (+6.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,130$98,900+$13,770 (+16.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,960$82,620+$5,660 (+7.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$161,790$173,810+$12,020 (+7.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$143,880$169,200+$25,320 (+17.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,560$144,290+$15,730 (+12.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,890$59,010-$1,880 (-3.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$81,690$127,360+$45,670 (+55.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$94,980$102,860+$7,880 (+8.3%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$44,910$46,210+$1,300 (+2.9%)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

Memphis, TN-MS-AR to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $115,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.9 in Memphis, TN-MS-AR, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Memphis, TN-MS-AR to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Relocation: Memphis, TN-MS-AR to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Overview

Memphis, TN-MS-AR 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: Memphis, TN-MS-AR 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR?

About $115,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.9 in Memphis, TN-MS-AR, 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 15.1% higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Memphis, TN-MS-AR. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.