City comparison
Dallas, TX vs Urban Honolulu, HI
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Urban Honolulu, HI are 7.6% higher than in Dallas, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Dallas, TX would need about $107,600 in Urban Honolulu, HI to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $2,016 a month in Urban Honolulu, HI versus $1,648 in Dallas, TX. On $100,000, that's 33% of take-home pay in Urban Honolulu, HI and 25% in Dallas, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $6,070 a year higher in Urban Honolulu, HI than in Dallas, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −4.0% moving from Dallas, TX to Urban Honolulu, HI ($115,711 → $111,119), while prices change by +7.6%. Net effect of the transfer: −10.8% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- Urban Honolulu, HI: price level 111.0 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | Urban Honolulu, HI | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 111.0 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $107,635 in Urban Honolulu | $92,907 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $2,016/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $73,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $6,070 (HI) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 33% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $57,220 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | State of Hawaii |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Urban Honolulu, HI MSA. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and Urban Honolulu, HI.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | Urban Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 135.5 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 111.6 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 187.3 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 102.9 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 111.0 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → Urban Honolulu, HI
Same pay buys less
Buying power −7.1%; rent takes 33% of take-home; state tax +$6,070/yr.
34 Weak offer
Urban Honolulu, HI → Dallas, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +7.6%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax −$6,070/yr.
93 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; Urban Honolulu, HI is in State of Hawaii. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to Urban Honolulu, HI at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | Urban Honolulu, HI | Real change, Dallas → Urban Honolulu |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $64,438 | −10.8% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $77,964 | −10.8% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $93,445 | −10.8% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $111,119 | −10.8% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $131,310 | −10.8% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | Urban Honolulu, HI | Urban Honolulu pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $73,080 | $67,896 (+4.3%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $120,230 | $111,702 (−16.2%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $74,990 | $69,671 (−15.7%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $139,260 | $129,382 (+27.6%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.