Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington → Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to Baltimore-Columbia-Towson is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.1 to 104.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $74/mo.

+$4,708
BLS median salary higher in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
395 to 425
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.4:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$7,065
DOL infant care higher / yr in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

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: 103.1 → 104.5
Rent Delta: -$74/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $74/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $5K higher median salary
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 103.1 to 104.5 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $74/mo ($888/yr) from $1,931 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to $1,857 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson sits #287 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is #351/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,708 higher ($73,476 → $78,184). Labor-market size: 4,019,090 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,317,590 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Texas scores 65 (C, #19/51) vs Maryland at 46 (F, #45/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 103.1
RPP 104.5
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Rent (2BR)
$1,931/mo
$1,857/mo
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Wages
$73,476
$78,184
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Crime
395 per 100K
425 per 100K
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Schools
14.4:1
14:1
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Childcare
$7,566/yr
$14,631/yr
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Environment
35693 violations
556 violations
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

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 · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44
Destination state · Maryland
46 F #45/51
Income tax
75
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
52

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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to see what you'd need to earn in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
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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