City comparison
Dallas, TX vs Vallejo, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent, state taxes and federal GS pay.
Key findings
- Prices in Vallejo, CA are 5.2% higher than in Dallas, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Dallas, TX would need about $105,200 in Vallejo, CA to live the same way.
- Typical 1-bedroom rents are close: $1,648 a month in Dallas, TX and $1,705 in Vallejo, CA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $5,070 a year higher in Vallejo, 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 Vallejo, CA ($115,711 → $133,060), while prices change by +5.2%. Net effect of the transfer: +9.3% in real buying power.
- Dallas, TX: price level 103.1 (pricier)
- Vallejo, CA: price level 108.5 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | Vallejo, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 103.1 | 108.5 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $105,227 in Vallejo | $95,032 in Dallas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,648/mo | $1,705/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% | 28% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $51,440 | $58,620 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA |
Rent areas: Dallas, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Vallejo, CA MSA. Metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX and Vallejo, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Dallas | Vallejo |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 117.9 | 142.0 |
| Goods | 102.8 | 105.2 |
| Utilities | 90.7 | 155.0 |
| Other services | 99.7 | 100.3 |
| Overall | 103.1 | 108.5 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Dallas, TX → Vallejo, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −5.0%; rent takes 28% of take-home; state tax +$5,070/yr.
49 Fair offer
Vallejo, CA → Dallas, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +5.2%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax −$5,070/yr.
85 Strong offer
Federal employees: GS pay
Dallas, TX is in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK pay area; Vallejo, CA is in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Dallas, TX to Vallejo, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Dallas, TX | Vallejo, CA | Real change, Dallas → Vallejo |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $67,100 | $77,161 | +9.3% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $81,186 | $93,358 | +9.3% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $97,307 | $111,896 | +9.3% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $115,711 | $133,060 | +9.3% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $136,736 | $157,236 | +9.3% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Dallas, TX | Vallejo, CA | Vallejo pay in Dallas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $133,610 | $137,160 | $130,346 (−2.4%) |
| Software Developers | $133,290 | $136,930 | $130,128 (−2.4%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $82,620 | $95,800 | $91,041 (+10.2%) |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $203,290 | $193,191 (+90.5%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.