City comparison
Dallas, TX vs Port St. Lucie, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Dallas, TX are 2.9% higher than in Port St. Lucie, FL. Someone earning $100,000 in Port St. Lucie, FL would need about $102,900 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 $1,467 in Port St. Lucie, FL. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in Dallas, TX and 22% in Port St. Lucie, FL.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $0 a year in TX and $0 in FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −2.0% moving from Dallas, TX to Port St. Lucie, FL ($115,711 → $113,356), while prices change by −2.8%. Net effect of the transfer: +0.8% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- Port St. Lucie, FL: price level 100.2 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | Port St. Lucie, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 100.2 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $97,224 in Port St. Lucie | $102,855 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $1,467/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $0 (FL) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 22% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $46,490 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Port St. Lucie, FL MSA. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and Port St. Lucie, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 113.6 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 87.0 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 100.2 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → Port St. Lucie, FL
Same pay goes further
Buying power +2.9%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
78 Strong offer
Port St. Lucie, FL → Dallas, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −2.8%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
60 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; Port St. Lucie, FL is in Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to Port St. Lucie, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | Port St. Lucie, FL | Real change, Dallas → Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $65,735 | +0.8% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $79,533 | +0.8% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $95,326 | +0.8% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $113,356 | +0.8% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $133,953 | +0.8% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | Port St. Lucie, FL | Port St. Lucie pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $53,610 | $55,141 (−15.3%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $128,510 | $132,180 (−0.8%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $79,430 | $81,698 (−1.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $82,090 | $84,434 (−16.7%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.