Overall
Diff -5.8 RPP
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria vs Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is 5.3% less expensive than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria.
5.3% less expensive
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX is 5.3% less expensive than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.1 vs 108.9). A $100,000 salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria buys about the same as $94,679 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 108.9 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria) vs 103.1 (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington)
- $100k in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria ≈ $94,679 purchasing power in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
- Rents drives the gap (-33.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair DC:TX 108.9→103.1
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE DC × TX
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria would need to be in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington for the same purchasing power:
| In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | In Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $47,339 | $-2,661 |
| $75,000 | $71,009 | $-3,991 |
| $100,000 | $94,679 | $-5,321 |
| $150,000 | $142,018 | $-7,982 |
$ in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria = in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (108.9 → 103.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX is 5.3% less expensive than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 5.8-point overall gap.
Rents leads the difference, with Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 33.3 points lower than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria corresponds to $94,679 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff -2.0 RPP
Services
Diff -16.0 RPP
Rents
Diff -33.3 RPP
| Category | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 108.9 | 103.1 | -5.8 |
| Goods | 104.8 | 102.8 | -2.0 |
| Services | 106.7 | 90.7 | -16.0 |
| Rents | 151.1 | 117.9 | -33.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 108.9
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 103.1
Goods
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 104.8
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 102.8
Services
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 106.7
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 90.7
Rents
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 151.1
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 117.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
108.9
Cost Index
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
103.1
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington more expensive than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria?
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is 5.3% less expensive than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. The overall cost index is 103.1 vs 108.9 (national average = 100).
What salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington equals $100K in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria?
A $100,000 salary in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria has the same purchasing power as $94,679 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Washington-Arlington-Alexandria and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
Rents in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria are indexed at 151.1 while Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is at 117.9 (national average = 100). Washington-Arlington-Alexandria has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.