City comparison
Dallas, TX vs San Diego, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in San Diego, CA are 8.5% higher than in Dallas, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Dallas, TX would need about $108,500 in San Diego, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $2,459 a month in San Diego, CA versus $1,648 in Dallas, TX. On $100,000, that's 40% of take-home pay in San Diego, CA and 25% in Dallas, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $5,070 a year higher in San Diego, CA than in Dallas, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +5.1% moving from Dallas, TX to San Diego, CA ($115,711 → $121,585), while prices change by +8.5%. Net effect of the transfer: −3.2% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- San Diego, CA: price level 111.9 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | San Diego, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 111.9 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $108,533 in San Diego | $92,138 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $2,459/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $74,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $5,070 (CA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 40% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $58,690 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | San Diego |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 179.3 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 108.0 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 174.2 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 99.6 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 111.9 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → San Diego, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −7.9%; rent takes 40% of take-home; state tax +$5,070/yr.
22 Weak offer
San Diego, CA → Dallas, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +8.5%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax −$5,070/yr.
95 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; San Diego, CA is in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to San Diego, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | San Diego, CA | Real change, Dallas → San Diego |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $70,507 | −3.2% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $85,307 | −3.2% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $102,246 | −3.2% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $121,585 | −3.2% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $143,677 | −3.2% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | San Diego, CA | San Diego pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $97,000 | $89,373 (+37.3%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $163,270 | $150,433 (+12.9%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $96,340 | $88,765 (+7.4%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $139,520 | $128,550 (+26.8%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.