Dallas vs Plano Cost of Living
Plano is approximately 5.1% more expensive than Dallas. See salary equivalence, taxes, and side-by-side breakdown.
Dallas, TX
Plano, TX
| Salary in Dallas | Equivalent in Plano | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $52,500 | +$2,500 (+5.0%) |
| $75,000 | $78,800 | +$3,800 (+5.1%) |
| $100,000 | $105,100 | +$5,100 (+5.1%) |
| $150,000 | $157,600 | +$7,600 (+5.1%) |
| $200,000 | $210,100 | +$10,100 (+5.1%) |
Plano costs about 5% more than Dallas overall, which means $105,051 in Plano buys roughly what $100,000 buys in Dallas.
Housing does most of the damage
Almost the entire gap between two cities is shelter. Tradable goods cost roughly the same everywhere; land does not. A one-bedroom runs about $1,350 a month in Dallas and $1,450 in Plano — $100 a month apart, or $1,200 a year.
Buying sharpens the same story. Median home prices sit near $400,000 in Dallas against $490,000 in Plano — at 20% down, about $18,000 apart in cash up front, before property tax rates in Texas and Texas enter the picture.
The price-to-rent ratios diverge enough to change the buy-versus-rent answer: about 25 in Dallas versus 28 in Plano. A ratio near 15 or lower makes buying straightforward; near 20 or above, renting and investing the gap is usually the stronger play. Which means the right answer can genuinely be to buy in one and rent in the other.
Work, weather, and what else is different
Dallas is a major metro of about 7.9M and growing fast; Plano is a major metro of about 8.1M and growing steadily.
These labor markets barely overlap. Dallas is built around telecommunications, banking/finance, technology (AT&T (headquarters), American Airlines (Fort Worth headquarters)), Plano around corporate headquarters (telecom, finance, tech), healthcare (Toyota Motor North America (HQ), JPMorgan Chase (regional hub)). Your experience may not read as relevant on the other end — secure an offer before you move.
The part spreadsheets leave out. Dallas: Humid subtropical: January highs near 56°F/lows 36°F, July highs near 96°F/lows 76°F, hot summers. Plano: Humid subtropical climate: January lows near 35°F, July highs near 96°F, humid.
No state income tax, offset by high property taxes — effective rates in the Dallas metro commonly exceed 2%, among the highest in the country. No state or local income tax; Toyota's 2017 relocation of its North American headquarters to Plano was part of a broader wave of major corporate HQ moves into the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Cost indexes derive from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities; rent, home prices and local tax rates are compiled from market and municipal sources. How these are compiled and updated.
Related tools
Paycheck calculator — take-home after federal, state and local tax. Salary calculator — hourly and annual conversion. Mortgage calculator — what a home in either metro actually costs monthly. Guide: the true cost of relocating.