At a glance
Dallas is 4.5% more expensive than Houston on BEA’s overall price index, and median rent is $184 a month higher in Dallas.
Price parity is 103.1 in Dallas and 98.6 in Houston (U.S. = 100); median gross rent is $1,614 and $1,430 a month.
Price index and rent come from different surveys and describe metro averages; neither predicts a household’s own costs.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
Cost of living: Dallas vs. Houston
Using 2024 BEA regional price parities, Dallas has an all-items metro price level about 4.5% higher than Houston relative to the same national benchmark. This is a ratio of broad price indexes, not a forecast of what a specific household would spend. Dallas has a $184 higher reported monthly metro-wide median gross rent than Houston. The two measures point in the same direction for these metros, but they cover different baskets and populations.
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| Official metro indicator | Dallas | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| BEA 2024 all-items price parity | 103.1 | 98.6 |
| ACS 2020–2024 median gross rent / month | $1,614 | $1,430 |
| ACS gross-rent margin of error | ± $6 | ± $6 |
| ACS median household income (± MOE) | $90,275 ± $491 | $82,168 ± $590 |
| ACS 45+ minute commute share | 18.5% | 22.0% |
These figures cover the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metropolitan areas, not the named cities alone. ACS gross rent includes estimated utilities and is not an asking rent; sampling uncertainty means small gaps may not be meaningful.
What a salary in Dallas is worth in Houston
BEA’s 2024 all-items parity is 103.1 for Dallas and 98.6 for Houston, so matching on that index takes about 4.3% less gross pay in Houston than in Dallas. Twelve months of median gross rent is 21.5% of median household income in Dallas and 20.9% in Houston (renter rent over all-household income, so a rough contrast rather than a budget).
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| Gross pay in Dallas | Same index value in Houston | Gross pay in Houston | Same index value in Dallas |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $47,836 | $50,000 | $52,262 |
| $75,000 | $71,755 | $75,000 | $78,392 |
| $100,000 | $95,673 | $100,000 | $104,523 |
| $150,000 | $143,509 | $150,000 | $156,785 |
| $200,000 | $191,345 | $200,000 | $209,046 |
Equal index value is not equal take-home pay: taxes, benefits and housing choices differ.
Median gross rents differ by $184 a month ($2,208 over twelve months). That gap is already part of the price index, so do not subtract it again; use real quotes in the worksheet.
How do salaries differ between Dallas and Houston?
79 of 80 curated occupations have a reported annual median wage in both metros. The 12 examples below are the most common jobs in the smaller metro, not the highest- or lowest-paid.
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| BLS occupation | Dallas median | Houston median | Dallas adjusted | Houston adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $111,010 | $119,600 | $107,683 | $121,263 |
| Retail Salespersons | $33,400 | $31,340 | $32,399 | $31,776 |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $99,830 | $98,380 | $101,218 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $44,990 | $40,380 | $43,641 | $40,941 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $38,510 | $38,000 | $37,356 | $38,528 |
| Office Clerks, General | $44,060 | $40,370 | $42,739 | $40,931 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $59,530 | $56,840 | $57,746 | $57,630 |
| Project Management Specialists | $98,900 | $99,510 | $95,936 | $100,893 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $47,450 | $46,750 | $46,028 | $47,400 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $48,860 | $46,710 | $47,395 | $47,359 |
| Construction Laborers | $43,960 | $41,350 | $42,642 | $41,925 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $85,090 | $80,144 | $86,273 |
The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.
What changes after adjusting wages for regional prices?
Among the 12 displayed, matched BLS occupations, 3 have a different leading metro for nominal versus price-adjusted median wages, and 9 keep the same leader. Adjusted values divide each median by the metro’s BEA parity; they are not tax-adjusted.
Where the price-adjusted gap is largest
Across the 79 occupations with a reported median in both metros, Dallas has the higher price-adjusted median in 25 and Houston in 54. For the typical occupation (the median of the occupation-by-occupation differences), the adjusted median in Dallas is 3.3% lower than in Houston.
The table lists the eight occupations with the largest percentage differences, in either direction. A large gap can reflect a small local employer base, so check the career page before drawing conclusions.
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| BLS occupation | Dallas adjusted | Houston adjusted | Higher in | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | $102,260 | $127,092 | Houston | 24.3% |
| Writers and Authors | $62,586 | $77,178 | Houston | 23.3% |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $90,125 | $75,607 | Dallas | 19.2% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $62,994 | $74,045 | Houston | 17.5% |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $50,082 | $58,745 | Houston | 17.3% |
| Data Scientists | $123,921 | $108,234 | Dallas | 14.5% |
| General and Operations Managers | $107,683 | $121,263 | Houston | 12.6% |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $60,685 | $68,306 | Houston | 12.6% |
Difference is the gap relative to the lower of the two adjusted medians.
Which jobs are more common in Dallas or Houston
Raw employment counts mostly track metro size. To compare, this table divides BLS estimated employment by ACS commuting workers (jobs per 10,000 commuters). Of the 75 occupations with at least 1,000 estimated workers in both metros, these are the most over-represented in each.
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| BLS occupation | Dallas per 10,000 | Houston per 10,000 | More common in | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 26.7 | 8.0 | Dallas | 3.3× |
| Information Security Analysts | 21.4 | 7.0 | Dallas | 3.1× |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 12.7 | 4.6 | Dallas | 2.8× |
| Machinists | 14.1 | 26.8 | Houston | 1.9× |
| Civil Engineers | 24.2 | 40.0 | Houston | 1.7× |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 32.0 | 52.3 | Houston | 1.6× |
A rough size scaling, not a formal location quotient. Employment estimates are not job openings.
Investigate a specific career before deciding
Open the dashboard with a role and both metros already selected. Amounts you enter stay in your browser.
Moving between Dallas and Houston: what should you check?
The checklist works in either direction. Get written offers and current rent quotes for the neighborhoods you would consider; metro medians are not listings. The full offer checklist covers taxes, benefits and one-time costs.