Dallas, TX vs Ocala, FL
Moving from Dallas to Ocala? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($366,823 → $273,318 median home) and taxes.
Dallas vs Ocala at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Dallas, TX, you'd need about $93,473 in Ocala, FL (−$6,527).
Livability — Dallas, TX: 67 · Ocala, FL: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,862 sqft in Dallas vs 3,385 sqft in Ocala ($175 vs $148 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Dallas, TX | Ocala, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,136 | $19,380 | −$756 |
| Groceries | $5,182 | $4,813 | −$369 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $4,800 | +$1,125 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $1,656 | −$180 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $4,200 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $8,136 | $4,004 | −$4,132 |
| Total | $42,565 | $38,853 | −$3,712 |
Side by side
| Metric | Dallas, TX | Ocala, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 95.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.62% | 5.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.0% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 59 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.45 |
| Median home price | $366,823 | $273,318 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.3% | -2.6% |
| Price per square foot | $175 | $148 |
| Median rent | $1,678 | $1,615 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.76% | 0.79% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |