City comparison
Dallas, TX vs Salt Lake City, UT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Dallas, TX are 2.2% higher than in Salt Lake City, UT. Someone earning $100,000 in Salt Lake City, UT would need about $102,200 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 $1,456 in Salt Lake City, UT. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in Dallas, TX and 23% in Salt Lake City, UT.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,534 a year higher in Salt Lake City, UT than in Dallas, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −8.0% moving from Dallas, TX to Salt Lake City, UT ($115,711 → $106,437), while prices change by −2.2%. Net effect of the transfer: −6.0% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- Salt Lake City, UT: price level 100.9 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | Salt Lake City, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 100.9 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $97,845 in Salt Lake City | $102,203 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $1,456/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $75,646 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $3,534 (UT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 23% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $55,240 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Salt Lake City, UT HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and Salt Lake City-Murray, UT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 123.3 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 96.4 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 79.0 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 99.0 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 100.9 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → Salt Lake City, UT
Same pay goes further
Buying power +2.2%; rent takes 23% of take-home; state tax +$3,534/yr.
76 Strong offer
Salt Lake City, UT → Dallas, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −2.2%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax −$3,534/yr.
62 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; Salt Lake City, UT is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to Salt Lake City, UT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | Salt Lake City, UT | Real change, Dallas → Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $61,722 | −6.0% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $74,678 | −6.0% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $89,508 | −6.0% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $106,437 | −6.0% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $125,776 | −6.0% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | Salt Lake City, UT | Salt Lake City pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $77,920 | $79,636 (+22.4%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $129,600 | $132,455 (−0.6%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $82,100 | $83,909 (+1.6%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $85,890 | $87,782 (−13.4%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.