Bozeman Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Bozeman to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 102.5 to 103.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $223/mo.

+$6,728
BLS median salary higher in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
426 to 395
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.8:1 to 14.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,900
DOL infant care lower / yr in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 102.5 → 103.1
Rent Delta: -$223/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $223/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $7K higher median salary
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 102.5 to 103.1 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $223/mo ($2,676/yr) from $2,154 in Bozeman to $1,931 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington sits #351 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Bozeman is #293/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,728 higher ($66,748 → $73,476). Labor-market size: 62,840 tracked jobs at origin vs 4,019,090 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Texas scores 65 (C, #19/51) vs Montana at 53 (D, #38/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Bozeman
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 102.5
RPP 103.1
Bozeman
Rent (2BR)
$2,154/mo
$1,931/mo
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Wages
$66,748
$73,476
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Crime
426 per 100K
395 per 100K
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Schools
11.8:1
14.7:1
Bozeman
Childcare
$11,466/yr
$7,566/yr
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Environment
1604 violations
35693 violations
Bozeman

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Montana
53 D #38/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
68
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
82
Destination state · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Bozeman to see what you'd need to earn in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026