Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington → Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + $8K higher median salary
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 4% higher cost of living
- - $324/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More expensive childcare
Moving from Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 103.1 to 106.7 (100 = US average), so a Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington salary needs to be multiplied by 1.03 to hold the same purchasing power in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,931/month in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to $2,255/month in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom - a higher monthly bill of $324, or $3,888/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $73,476 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington versus $81,568 in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom - a raw gap of $8,092 higher. The Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom labor market has 1,060,500 tracked jobs against 4,019,090 in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington and Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom are 395 and 477 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 14.7:1 at origin versus 21.5:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $7,566/year in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington versus $17,920/year in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom. Our composite verdict - Unfavorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington to see what you'd need to earn in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom more expensive than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
What are salaries like in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom compared to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
Is Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom safer than Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
How much would I need to earn in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom to match my Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington salary?
What does the "Unfavorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.