Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Bozeman

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

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

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

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 103.1 → 102.5
Rent Delta: +$223/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $223/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $7K lower median salary
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 103.1 to 102.5 (ratio 0.99), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $223/mo ($2,676/yr) from $1,931 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to $2,154 in Bozeman.

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

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

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: 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
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Bozeman
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 103.1
RPP 102.5
Bozeman
Rent (2BR)
$1,931/mo
$2,154/mo
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Wages
$73,476
$66,748
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Crime
395 per 100K
426 per 100K
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Schools
14.7:1
11.8:1
Bozeman
Childcare
$7,566/yr
$11,466/yr
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Environment
35693 violations
1604 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 · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44
Destination state · Montana
53 D #38/51
Income tax
62
Property tax
68
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
82

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 Bozeman to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Bozeman
-

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