Dayton, OH vs Dallas, TX
Moving from Dayton to Dallas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($350,000 → $366,823 median home) and taxes.
Dayton vs Dallas 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 Dayton, OH, you'd need about $110,948 in Dallas, TX (+$10,948).
Livability — Dayton, OH: 69 · Dallas, TX: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,500 sqft in Dayton vs 2,862 sqft in Dallas ($200 vs $175 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Dayton, OH | Dallas, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,200 | $20,136 | +$3,936 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $5,182 | +$476 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,675 | +$650 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,836 | −$264 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $3,600 | +$2,300 |
| Taxes | $8,917 | $8,136 | −$781 |
| Total | $36,248 | $42,565 | +$6,317 |
Side by side
| Metric | Dayton, OH | Dallas, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.4 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.28% | 4.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 59 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $350,000 | $366,823 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.2× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | -3.3% |
| Price per square foot | $200 | $175 |
| Median rent | $1,350 | $1,678 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.68% | 1.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |