Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.1 to 114.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $402/mo.

-$5,151
BLS median salary lower in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
395 to 210
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.7:1 to 17.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,939
DOL infant care higher / yr in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 103.1 → 114.2
Rent Delta: +$402/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - 11% higher cost of living
  • - $402/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $5K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 103.1 to 114.2, so the same paycheck buys less in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach (ratio 1.11). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $402/mo ($4,824/yr) from $1,931 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to $2,333 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach sits #361 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is #351/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,151 lower ($73,476 → $68,325). Labor-market size: 4,019,090 tracked jobs at origin vs 2,720,630 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Texas 65 (C, #19/51) vs Florida 62 (C, #23/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 103.1
RPP 114.2
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Rent (2BR)
$1,931/mo
$2,333/mo
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Wages
$73,476
$68,325
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Crime
395 per 100K
210 per 100K
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
Schools
14.7:1
17.8:1
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Childcare
$7,566/yr
$10,505/yr
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Environment
35693 violations
2736 violations
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

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 · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12

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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
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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