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CityLedger

Boston vs Dallas

Metro-area medians — Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area vs Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Boston comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 10 clearly-decided measures.

Dallas is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Boston households earn about 27% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Boston.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Boston, MA
$57,564
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$53,169
real value after local prices
Dallas, TX
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$59,476
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Dallas leaves you about $6,307/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Boston
Dallas
Livability (CityLedger)
83/100
61/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
108.3
103.1
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$108,829
$89,953
Median household income
$117,825
$92,733
Median rent
$2,093/mo
$1,718/mo
Median home value
$681,100
$389,500
Unemployment
3.9%
4.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
53%
41%
Average commute
31.9 min
28.8 min
Air quality (median AQI)
43
59
Avg temperature
50°F
67°F

Choose Boston for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Boston profile →

Choose Dallas for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Average commute
Full Dallas profile →

Boston vs Dallas — frequently asked

Is Boston cheaper than Dallas?
Dallas is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Boston's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Boston or Dallas?
Boston has the higher median household income — $117,825 versus $92,733 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 27% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Boston or Dallas?
A paycheck stretches further in Boston. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $108,829 there versus $89,953 in Dallas.
Which has cheaper rent, Boston or Dallas?
Dallas has cheaper rent — a median of $1,718/mo versus $2,093/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).