City comparison
Dallas, TX vs San Francisco, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in San Francisco, CA are 12.1% higher than in Dallas, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Dallas, TX would need about $112,100 in San Francisco, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $2,977 a month in San Francisco, CA versus $1,648 in Dallas, TX. On $100,000, that's 48% of take-home pay in San Francisco, CA and 25% in Dallas, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $5,070 a year higher in San Francisco, CA than in Dallas, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +15.0% moving from Dallas, TX to San Francisco, CA ($115,711 → $133,060), while prices change by +12.1%. Net effect of the transfer: +2.5% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- San Francisco, CA: price level 115.6 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | San Francisco, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 115.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $112,148 in San Francisco | $89,168 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $2,977/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $74,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $5,070 (CA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 48% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $74,260 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 194.7 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 108.5 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 172.6 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 106.2 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 115.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → San Francisco, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −10.8%; rent takes 48% of take-home; state tax +$5,070/yr.
3 Weak offer
San Francisco, CA → Dallas, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +12.1%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax −$5,070/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; San Francisco, CA is in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to San Francisco, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | San Francisco, CA | Real change, Dallas → San Francisco |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $77,161 | +2.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $93,358 | +2.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $111,896 | +2.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $133,060 | +2.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $157,236 | +2.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $101,860 | $90,827 (+39.6%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $186,640 | $166,423 (+24.9%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $110,730 | $98,736 (+19.5%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $186,610 | $166,397 (+64.1%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.