City Comparison
Houston vs Dallas
Take-home pay, tax burden, and cost of living side-by-side. 2026 tax brackets.
Texas
Houston
- Net on $110,000
- $85,771
- Effective rate
- 22.0%
- COL index
- 96
- Buying power
- $89,345
Texas
Dallas
- Net on $110,000
- $85,771
- Effective rate
- 22.0%
- COL index
- 102
- Buying power
- $84,089
On a $110,000 salary, the raw take-home gap is $0, but once you adjust for cost of living the effective buying-power gap is $5,256. To match Houston's lifestyle at $110,000, you'd need to earn roughly $116,875 in Dallas.
Comparison at different salary levels
Single filer, biweekly pay, standard deduction. Local tax applied where relevant.
| Gross salary | Houston net | Dallas net | Equivalent in Dallas |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $50,249 | $50,249 | $63,750 |
| $85,000 | $68,184 | $68,184 | $90,313 |
| $110,000 | $85,771 | $85,771 | $116,875 |
| $150,000 | $113,278 | $113,278 | $159,375 |
"Equivalent in Dallas" = the gross salary you'd need to earn in Dallas to match the after-tax, after-COL buying power of the left-column salary in Houston.
See individual city breakdowns
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to live in Houston or Dallas? ▾
Houston is modestly cheaper — COL index of 96 vs 102 (US average = 100). That gap comes mostly from housing; groceries and utilities usually differ by less than the headline COL number suggests.
If I earn $110,000 in Houston, what do I need in Dallas to match? ▾
To match the same after-tax buying power you'd get from $110,000 in Houston, you'd need to earn about $116,875 gross in Dallas. That accounts for both the tax difference and the cost-of-living gap.
Which city has lower taxes on a $110,000 salary? ▾
At $110,000, Houston has an effective total tax rate of 22.0% vs 22.0% in Dallas. That works out to a tax difference of about $0 per year.
Does the 'cheaper' city actually leave you better off? ▾
Not always. Raw net pay matters, but so does what that money buys. When we adjust for cost of living, Houston leaves you with about $89,345 of equivalent buying power at $110,000 — compared to $84,089 in the other.