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Dallas vs Houston: cost of living, pay and jobs compared
Houston is the cheaper place to live: overall prices run 5% lower than in Dallas, and housing runs 13% lower. Dallas pays more in dollars (a typical official wage of $51,500 against $49,500), and after local prices are counted the typical paycheck goes further in Houston ($50,000 against $50,000 in average-US dollars).
The short answer
- Prices: Dallas runs 5% higher than Houston overall, and housing runs 13% higher.
- To keep the buying power of $100,000 in Houston, you need about $104,500 in Dallas. To keep $100,000 from Dallas, you need about $95,500 in Houston.
- Official median wage for all jobs: $51,500 in Dallas, $49,500 in Houston.
- Median pay listed in open postings: $132,000 in Dallas, $127,500 in Houston.
- Open postings in our data: 5,058 in Dallas from 669 employers, 2,480 in Houston from 484 employers.
- Unemployment: 4.4% in Dallas, 5% in Houston (BLS).
Dallas and Houston side by side
| Measure | Dallas | Houston | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall price level (US = 100) | 103.1 | 98.6 | Houston |
| Housing price level | 117.9 | 104.5 | Houston |
| Official median wage, all jobs | $51,500 | $49,500 | Dallas |
| Paycheck power (wage adjusted for prices) | $50,000 | $50,000 | About the same |
| Median pay in open postings | $132,000 | $127,500 | Dallas |
| Postings that list pay | 26.1% | 17.5% | Dallas |
| Open postings in our data | 5,058 | 2,480 | – |
| Employers hiring in our data | 669 | 484 | – |
| Unemployment rate (BLS) | 4.4% | 5% | Dallas |
| Postings open more than 60 days | 28.4% | 32.6% | Dallas |
| Median days a posting has been open | 30 | 30 | About the same |
| Entry-level share of postings | 13.9% | 13.1% | – |
| Remote share of postings | 5% | 4.7% | – |
| Indeed postings index vs Feb 2020 | +13.1% | +15.6% | Houston |
"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 Houston at 98.6. The biggest difference is housing: 117.9 in Dallas against 104.5 in Houston. Utilities are 5% 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 | Houston | Dallas vs Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 103.1 | 98.6 | 5% higher |
| Housing | 117.9 | 104.5 | 13% higher |
| Goods | 102.8 | 100.6 | 2% higher |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 95.3 | 5% lower |
| Other services | 99.7 | 95.6 | 4% higher |
What a salary is worth in each place
Each row keeps your purchasing power the same. The left half moves a salary from Houston 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 Houston | Matching salary in Dallas | If only housing moved | Salary in Dallas | Matching salary in Houston | If only housing moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $52,500 | $56,500 | $50,000 | $48,000 | $44,500 |
| $75,000 | $78,500 | $84,500 | $75,000 | $72,000 | $66,500 |
| $100,000 | $104,500 | $113,000 | $100,000 | $95,500 | $88,500 |
| $125,000 | $130,500 | $141,000 | $125,000 | $119,500 | $111,000 |
| $150,000 | $157,000 | $169,000 | $150,000 | $143,500 | $133,000 |
| $200,000 | $209,000 | $225,500 | $200,000 | $191,500 | $177,500 |
As hourly pay (2,080 hours a year): $100,000 a year is about $48.10 an hour; the matching figure is about $50.25 an hour in Dallas for someone earning $100,000 in Houston.
Pay for the same job
Across the 59 occupations that the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures in both areas, the median wage is higher in Dallas for 43 and higher in Houston for 16. After local prices are counted, Dallas comes out ahead in 20 and Houston in 39. The widest gap among the 15 largest occupations is home health and personal care aides: $26,900 in Dallas against $23,400 in Houston.
| Occupation (15 largest) | Dallas median | Houston median | Dallas adjusted for prices | Houston adjusted for prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $28,100 | $27,600 | $27,200 | $28,000 |
| General and Operations Managers | $111,000 | $119,600 | $107,700 | $121,300 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $37,600 | $36,900 | $36,500 | $37,400 |
| Retail Salespersons | $33,400 | $31,300 | $32,400 | $31,800 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $45,000 | $40,400 | $43,600 | $40,900 |
| Registered Nurses | $101,400 | $99,800 | $98,400 | $101,200 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $38,500 | $38,000 | $37,400 | $38,500 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $26,900 | $23,400 | $26,100 | $23,800 |
| Cashiers | $29,900 | $29,400 | $29,000 | $29,800 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $59,500 | $56,800 | $57,700 | $57,600 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $24,200 | $22,100 | $23,400 | $22,400 |
| Office Clerks, General | $44,100 | $40,400 | $42,700 | $40,900 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $34,900 | $30,700 | $33,800 | $31,100 |
| Software Developers | $133,300 | $129,400 | $129,300 | $131,200 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $73,100 | $66,000 | $70,900 | $66,900 |
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.
Pay employers are offering right now
The wages above are what people earn in jobs they already hold. Open postings show what employers are offering today. In the job families where both areas have at least 15 postings that list pay, the median listed salary is higher in Dallas for 1 of 4 and higher in Houston for 3. Posted pay tends to run above the all-worker median because it leans toward hiring for experienced roles at larger employers.
| Job family | Dallas median listed pay | Postings | Houston median listed pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | $110,500 | 127 | $124,500 | 63 |
| Legal and compliance | $152,500 | 53 | $210,000 | 30 |
| Operations and logistics | $122,500 | 44 | $120,500 | 15 |
| Nursing and clinical care | $107,500 | 37 | $141,500 | 16 |
Only postings that list a salary are counted. Median of the middle of each listed range. Job families need at least 15 such postings in both areas to appear.
Who is hiring
Dallas's postings lean toward software & technology (17%), while Houston's lean toward healthcare & life sciences (16.4%). 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 Houston: Greystar (68), Tamus (61), Boxlunch (60), Careers Obmc (51), Floor & Decor (40).
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 30 in Houston; 28.4% and 32.6% have been open more than 60 days.
- Entry-level roles are 13.9% of postings in Dallas and 13.1% in Houston; senior and above are 39.5% and 30.4%.
- Fully remote roles are 5% of postings in Dallas and 4.7% in Houston.
- Indeed's postings index sits 13.1% above its February 2020 level in Dallas and 15.6% above in Houston.
- 26.1% of postings in Dallas list pay, against 17.5% in Houston.
Which is better for you?
- If you can keep your current salary and move, the place with the lower price level (Houston) stretches it further: $100,000 in Dallas has the buying power of about $95,500 in Houston.
- If you will be paid the local going rate, Houston comes out ahead after prices on the typical wage ($50,000 against $50,000).
- If housing is your biggest cost, the gap there (117.9 vs 104.5) 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 Houston?
Houston is cheaper. Overall prices run 5% lower than in Dallas, and housing runs 13% 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 Houston?
About $104,500 a year, using the ratio of overall price levels (103.1 in Dallas, 98.6 in Houston). Prices only; taxes are not included.
Which city pays more, Dallas or Houston?
Dallas has the higher typical wage across all jobs: $51,500 against $49,500 (BLS, May 2025). After local prices, Houston has the higher paycheck power: $50,000 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 2,480. 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
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 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