City comparison
Dallas, TX vs Spokane, WA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Dallas, TX are 2.7% higher than in Spokane, WA. Someone earning $100,000 in Spokane, WA would need about $102,700 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 $1,193 in Spokane, WA. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in Dallas, TX and 18% in Spokane, WA.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $0 a year in TX and $0 in WA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −7.5% moving from Dallas, TX to Spokane, WA ($115,711 → $106,991), while prices change by −2.7%. Net effect of the transfer: −5.0% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- Spokane, WA: price level 100.3 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | Spokane, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 100.3 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $97,338 in Spokane | $102,735 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $1,193/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $0 (WA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $54,660 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Spokane, WA HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | Spokane |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 97.1 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 105.0 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 91.2 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 99.5 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 100.3 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → Spokane, WA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +2.7%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
77 Strong offer
Spokane, WA → Dallas, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −2.7%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
60 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; Spokane, WA is in Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to Spokane, WA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | Spokane, WA | Real change, Dallas → Spokane |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $62,044 | −5.0% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $75,068 | −5.0% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $89,974 | −5.0% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $106,991 | −5.0% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $126,432 | −5.0% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | Spokane, WA | Spokane pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,070 | $98,800 | $101,502 (+56.0%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $130,690 | $134,264 (+0.7%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $86,350 | $88,711 (+7.4%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $111,750 | $114,806 (+13.2%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.