City comparison
Dallas, TX vs San Antonio, TX
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Dallas, TX are 8.8% higher than in San Antonio, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in San Antonio, TX would need about $108,800 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 $1,177 in San Antonio, TX. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in Dallas, TX and 18% in San Antonio, TX.
- Both are in TX, so estimated state income tax is the same: $0 a year on $100,000.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −6.7% moving from Dallas, TX to San Antonio, TX ($115,711 → $108,001), while prices change by −8.1%. Net effect of the transfer: +1.6% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- San Antonio, TX: price level 94.7 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | San Antonio, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 94.7 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $91,877 in San Antonio | $108,841 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $1,177/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $0 (TX) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $47,010 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 94.6 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 93.8 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 82.2 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 96.2 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 94.7 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → San Antonio, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +8.8%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
96 Strong offer
San Antonio, TX → Dallas, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −8.1%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
43 Weak offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; San Antonio, TX is in San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to San Antonio, TX at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | San Antonio, TX | Real change, Dallas → San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $62,629 | +1.6% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $75,776 | +1.6% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $90,823 | +1.6% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $108,001 | +1.6% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $127,624 | +1.6% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | San Antonio, TX | San Antonio pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $61,720 | $67,177 (+3.2%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $128,430 | $139,785 (+4.9%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $78,650 | $85,604 (+3.6%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $94,370 | $102,713 (+1.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.