City comparison
Dallas, TX vs New Haven, CT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in New Haven, CT are 1.4% higher than in Dallas, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Dallas, TX would need about $101,400 in New Haven, CT to live the same way.
- Typical 1-bedroom rents are close: $1,648 a month in Dallas, TX and $1,591 in New Haven, CT.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,925 a year higher in New Haven, CT than in Dallas, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +8.4% moving from Dallas, TX to New Haven, CT ($115,711 → $125,431), while prices change by +1.4%. Net effect of the transfer: +6.9% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- New Haven, CT: price level 104.6 (pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | New Haven, CT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 104.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $101,425 in New Haven | $98,595 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $1,591/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $75,255 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $3,925 (CT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 25% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $60,060 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and New Haven, CT MSA. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and New Haven, CT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | New Haven |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 124.3 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 97.3 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 144.8 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 102.7 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 104.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → New Haven, CT
Roughly even
Buying power −1.4%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$3,925/yr.
64 Fair offer
New Haven, CT → Dallas, TX
Roughly even
Buying power +1.4%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax −$3,925/yr.
73 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; New Haven, CT is in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to New Haven, CT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | New Haven, CT | Real change, Dallas → New Haven |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $72,737 | +6.9% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $88,005 | +6.9% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $105,481 | +6.9% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $125,431 | +6.9% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $148,222 | +6.9% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | New Haven, CT | New Haven pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $79,820 | $78,699 (+20.9%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $133,040 | $131,171 (−1.6%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $94,960 | $93,626 (+13.3%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $104,490 | $103,022 (+1.6%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.