City comparison
Dallas, TX vs Palm Bay, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Dallas, TX are 3.1% higher than in Palm Bay, FL. Someone earning $100,000 in Palm Bay, FL would need about $103,100 in Dallas, TX to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,648 a month in Dallas, TX versus $1,478 in Palm Bay, FL. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in Dallas, TX and 22% in Palm Bay, FL.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $0 a year in TX and $0 in FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −7.3% moving from Dallas, TX to Palm Bay, FL ($115,711 → $107,228), while prices change by −3.0%. Net effect of the transfer: −4.5% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- Palm Bay, FL: price level 100.0 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | Palm Bay, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 100.0 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $97,007 in Palm Bay | $103,085 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $1,478/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $0 (FL) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 22% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $49,030 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | Palm Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 111.7 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 88.1 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 100.0 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → Palm Bay, FL
Same pay goes further
Buying power +3.1%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
78 Strong offer
Palm Bay, FL → Dallas, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −3.0%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
59 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; Palm Bay, FL is in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to Palm Bay, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | Palm Bay, FL | Real change, Dallas → Palm Bay |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $62,181 | −4.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $75,233 | −4.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $90,173 | −4.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $107,228 | −4.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $126,711 | −4.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | Palm Bay, FL | Palm Bay pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $62,510 | $64,438 (−1.0%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $131,760 | $135,825 (+1.9%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $75,860 | $78,200 (−5.3%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $80,900 | $83,396 (−17.8%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.