Dallas, TX vs Richmond, VA
Moving from Dallas to Richmond? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($366,823 → $397,705 median home) and taxes.
Dallas vs Richmond 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 $95,948 in Richmond, VA (−$4,052).
Livability — Dallas, TX: 67 · Richmond, VA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,862 sqft in Dallas vs 2,514 sqft in Richmond ($175 vs $199 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Dallas, TX | Richmond, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,136 | $21,156 | +$1,020 |
| Groceries | $5,182 | $4,853 | −$329 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,080 | −$595 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $1,872 | +$36 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,500 | −$2,100 |
| Taxes | $8,136 | $10,041 | +$1,905 |
| Total | $42,565 | $42,502 | −$63 |
Side by side
| Metric | Dallas, TX | Richmond, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.62% | 4.78% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.0% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 59 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.60 |
| Median home price | $366,823 | $397,705 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.3% | 2.3% |
| Price per square foot | $175 | $199 |
| Median rent | $1,678 | $1,763 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.76% | 0.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |