2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Seattle-Tacoma, WA 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$77,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-22.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$7,728
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$7,728/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

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

COL 158.8
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 -$26,160
Discretionary Cash Flow $53,020
Target Market
Destination Location

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

COL 123.0
Gross Parity Income $77,500
Federal Income Tax -$8,220
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,929
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $63,351
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,432
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,919

EPI family budgets put living costs 22.5% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, so $100,000 in Seattle goes about as far as $77,500 in Dallas. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,180 a month in Seattle and $1,536 in Dallas, $7,728 a year less. 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 $7,728 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $72,610 in Seattle 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (Monthly) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,180$1,536-$644-29.5%
Food & Groceries$421$342-$79-18.8%
Transportation$1,020$1,011-$9-0.9%
Healthcare$398$459+$61+15.3%
Other Necessities$826$582-$244-29.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$644/mo (-29.5%)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: $2,180/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,536/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$742/mo (-29.1%)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: $2,549/mo Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $1,807/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$7.92/hr (-22.6%)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: $35.12/hr Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: $27.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$8.18/hr (-26.3%)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: $31.10/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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Median Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$167,280$133,290-$33,990 (-20.3%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$146,030$111,010-$35,020 (-24.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$128,260$101,420-$26,840 (-20.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$130,380$98,900-$31,480 (-24.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$99,370$82,620-$16,750 (-16.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$214,680$173,810-$40,870 (-19.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$185,550$169,200-$16,350 (-8.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$126,340$102,860-$23,480 (-18.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$184,320$144,290-$40,030 (-21.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$101,780$59,010-$42,770 (-42.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$136,120$127,360-$8,760 (-6.4%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$76,800$46,210-$30,590 (-39.8%)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

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Relocation FAQs

About $77,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (158.8 in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 123.0 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX to Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Relocation: Seattle-Tacoma, WA to Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Overview

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Seattle-Tacoma, WA 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?

About $77,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (158.8 in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 22.5% lower in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX than in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.