City comparison
Dallas, TX vs Lancaster, PA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Dallas, TX are 4.9% higher than in Lancaster, PA. Someone earning $100,000 in Lancaster, PA would need about $104,900 in Dallas, TX to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,648 a month in Dallas, TX versus $1,220 in Lancaster, PA. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in Dallas, TX and 19% in Lancaster, PA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,070 a year higher in Lancaster, PA than in Dallas, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −6.2% moving from Dallas, TX to Lancaster, PA ($115,711 → $108,592), while prices change by −4.7%. Net effect of the transfer: −1.5% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- Lancaster, PA: price level 98.3 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | Lancaster, PA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 98.3 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $95,312 in Lancaster | $104,919 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $1,220/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $76,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $3,070 (PA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 19% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $48,210 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Lancaster, PA MSA. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and Lancaster, PA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | Lancaster |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 93.8 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 100.7 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 107.3 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 97.7 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 98.3 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → Lancaster, PA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +4.9%; rent takes 19% of take-home; state tax +$3,070/yr.
84 Strong offer
Lancaster, PA → Dallas, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −4.7%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax −$3,070/yr.
54 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; Lancaster, PA is in Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to Lancaster, PA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | Lancaster, PA | Real change, Dallas → Lancaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $62,972 | −1.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $76,190 | −1.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $91,320 | −1.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $108,592 | −1.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $128,323 | −1.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | Lancaster, PA | Lancaster pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $78,360 | $82,214 (+26.3%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $104,740 | $109,892 (−17.6%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $76,110 | $79,854 (−3.3%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $89,620 | $94,028 (−7.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.