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Dallas vs Detroit: cost of living, pay and jobs compared
Detroit is the cheaper place to live: overall prices run 3% lower than in Dallas, and housing runs 24% lower. Detroit pays more in dollars (a typical official wage of $52,000 against $51,500), and after local prices are counted the typical paycheck goes further in Detroit ($52,000 against $50,000 in average-US dollars).
The short answer
- Prices: Dallas runs 3% higher than Detroit overall, and housing runs 24% higher.
- To keep the buying power of $100,000 in Detroit, you need about $103,000 in Dallas. To keep $100,000 from Dallas, you need about $97,500 in Detroit.
- Official median wage for all jobs: $51,500 in Dallas, $52,000 in Detroit.
- Median pay listed in open postings: $132,000 in Dallas, $145,000 in Detroit.
- Open postings in our data: 5,058 in Dallas from 669 employers, 1,882 in Detroit from 282 employers.
- Unemployment: 4.4% in Dallas, 5.7% in Detroit (BLS).
Dallas and Detroit side by side
| Measure | Dallas | Detroit | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall price level (US = 100) | 103.1 | 100.3 | Detroit |
| Housing price level | 117.9 | 94.7 | Detroit |
| Official median wage, all jobs | $51,500 | $52,000 | About the same |
| Paycheck power (wage adjusted for prices) | $50,000 | $52,000 | Detroit |
| Median pay in open postings | $132,000 | $145,000 | Detroit |
| Postings that list pay | 26.1% | 19.1% | Dallas |
| Open postings in our data | 5,058 | 1,882 | – |
| Employers hiring in our data | 669 | 282 | – |
| Unemployment rate (BLS) | 4.4% | 5.7% | Dallas |
| Postings open more than 60 days | 28.4% | 25.2% | Detroit |
| Median days a posting has been open | 30 | 25 | Detroit |
| Entry-level share of postings | 13.9% | 11% | – |
| Remote share of postings | 5% | 5% | – |
| Indeed postings index vs Feb 2020 | +13.1% | -7.6% | Dallas |
"Edge" shows which area looks better on that measure (lower prices, higher pay, lower unemployment, fewer stale postings); counts and shares have no edge. Within 2% counts as about the same.
Cost of living
Dallas prices sit 103.1 against a US average of 100 and Detroit at 100.3. The biggest difference is housing: 117.9 in Dallas against 94.7 in Detroit. Utilities are 15% lower in Dallas. The index covers goods and services including rent and home costs, so it measures what a typical household spends, not what your own budget looks like.
| Price level (US = 100) | Dallas | Detroit | Dallas vs Detroit |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 103.1 | 100.3 | 3% higher |
| Housing | 117.9 | 94.7 | 24% higher |
| Goods | 102.8 | 98.8 | 4% higher |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 107 | 15% lower |
| Other services | 99.7 | 102.6 | 3% lower |
What a salary is worth in each place
Each row keeps your purchasing power the same. The left half moves a salary from Detroit to Dallas; the right half moves it the other way. "If only housing moved" uses the housing price level alone, for someone whose biggest cost is rent or a mortgage.
| Salary in Detroit | Matching salary in Dallas | If only housing moved | Salary in Dallas | Matching salary in Detroit | If only housing moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,500 | $62,000 | $50,000 | $48,500 | $40,000 |
| $75,000 | $77,000 | $93,500 | $75,000 | $73,000 | $60,000 |
| $100,000 | $103,000 | $124,500 | $100,000 | $97,500 | $80,500 |
| $125,000 | $128,500 | $155,500 | $125,000 | $121,500 | $100,500 |
| $150,000 | $154,000 | $186,500 | $150,000 | $146,000 | $120,500 |
| $200,000 | $205,500 | $249,000 | $200,000 | $194,500 | $160,500 |
As hourly pay (2,080 hours a year): $100,000 a year is about $48.10 an hour; the matching figure is about $49.42 an hour in Dallas for someone earning $100,000 in Detroit.
Pay for the same job
Across the 60 occupations that the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures in both areas, the median wage is higher in Dallas for 31 and higher in Detroit for 29. After local prices are counted, Dallas comes out ahead in 19 and Detroit in 41. The widest gap among the 15 largest occupations is waiters and waitresses: $24,200 in Dallas against $37,500 in Detroit.
| Occupation (15 largest) | Dallas median | Detroit median | Dallas adjusted for prices | Detroit adjusted for prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $28,100 | $29,600 | $27,200 | $29,500 |
| General and Operations Managers | $111,000 | $104,000 | $107,700 | $103,700 |
| Retail Salespersons | $33,400 | $35,100 | $32,400 | $35,000 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $37,600 | $36,700 | $36,500 | $36,600 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $45,000 | $44,700 | $43,600 | $44,600 |
| Registered Nurses | $101,400 | $97,300 | $98,400 | $97,000 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $38,500 | $40,300 | $37,400 | $40,200 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $26,900 | $35,100 | $26,100 | $35,000 |
| Cashiers | $29,900 | $30,100 | $29,000 | $30,000 |
| Software Developers | $133,300 | $130,800 | $129,300 | $130,400 |
| Office Clerks, General | $44,100 | $45,800 | $42,700 | $45,700 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | $38,300 | $49,200 | $37,200 | $49,100 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $24,200 | $37,500 | $23,400 | $37,400 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $59,500 | $59,100 | $57,700 | $58,900 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $34,900 | $36,700 | $33,800 | $36,600 |
Median annual wage for everyone in the occupation, all employers, May 2025 (BLS). "Adjusted" divides the wage by the area's price level (BEA, US = 100), so dollars are comparable.
Who is hiring
Dallas's postings lean toward software & technology (17%), while Detroit's lean toward manufacturing & industrial (28.9%). The mix matters because pay and hiring conditions differ a lot by industry.
- Largest posters in Dallas: RaceTrac (273), Shield AI (129), Capital One (127), Floor & Decor (92), McKesson (82).
- Largest posters in Detroit: General Motors (353), Meijer (94), Scoutmotors (57), Rocket Companies (52), Lucid Motors (48).
Counts are open postings on each employer's own career page in our data; one big employer can shape a local market.
The job market
- Postings have been open a median of 30 days in Dallas and 25 in Detroit; 28.4% and 25.2% have been open more than 60 days.
- Entry-level roles are 13.9% of postings in Dallas and 11% in Detroit; senior and above are 39.5% and 35.7%.
- Fully remote roles are 5% of postings in Dallas and 5% in Detroit.
- Indeed's postings index sits 13.1% above its February 2020 level in Dallas and 7.6% below in Detroit.
- 26.1% of postings in Dallas list pay, against 19.1% in Detroit.
Which is better for you?
- If you can keep your current salary and move, the place with the lower price level (Detroit) stretches it further: $100,000 in Dallas has the buying power of about $97,500 in Detroit.
- If you will be paid the local going rate, Detroit comes out ahead after prices on the typical wage ($52,000 against $50,000).
- Software developers: median listed pay is $168,000 in Dallas and $224,000 in Detroit, which is $163,000 and $223,500 in average-US dollars.
- If housing is your biggest cost, the gap there (117.9 vs 94.7) matters more than the overall index.
No place is better for everyone. Taxes, commute, schools, climate and your own spending are not in these numbers.
Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Dallas or Detroit?
Detroit is cheaper. Overall prices run 3% lower than in Dallas, and housing runs 24% lower (BEA regional price parities, 2024, where the US average is 100).
How much do I need to earn in Dallas to match $100,000 in Detroit?
About $103,000 a year, using the ratio of overall price levels (103.1 in Dallas, 100.3 in Detroit). Prices only; taxes are not included.
Which city pays more, Dallas or Detroit?
Detroit has the higher typical wage across all jobs: $52,000 against $51,500 (BLS, May 2025). After local prices, Detroit has the higher paycheck power: $52,000 against $50,000 in average-US dollars.
Which has more job openings?
In the postings we read from employers' own career pages, Dallas has more: 5,058 against 1,882. This is a sample of employer postings, not a census of every job.
Where do these numbers come from?
Prices come from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, wages and unemployment from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and postings from employers' own career pages, collected October 2026. Every figure on this page is in a table or chart above.
More on these places
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: all the data
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: all the data
- Compare them in the interactive tool
- Cost-of-living ranking · Paycheck power ranking
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Updated October 2026. Prices only: taxes and personal spending are not included. Price levels: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities, 2024. Wages and unemployment: Bureau of Labor Statistics (wages May 2025). Postings: employers' own career pages, October 2026. Methodology