?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Dallas, TX vs Los Angeles, CA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Dallas needs about $107,000 in Los Angeles to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Los Angeles, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $64,500 in Dallas.

A few differences

Dallas vs Los Angeles · facet by facet
FacetDallas, TXLos Angeles, CA
Median home price$400,000$950,000
2-bedroom rent$1,850/mo$3,100/mo
Property tax rate1.9%0.75%
State & local income tax0%2.09%
Sales tax8.25%9.5%
Cost of living index101149
Groceries index98110
Utilities$185/mo$205/mo
Median household income$65,000$80,000
Unemployment rate4%5.2%
Crime index54/10048/100
School rating6.0/106.0/10
Sunny days / year234 days284 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Dallas, TX · Los Angeles, CA
Questions & answers
Is Dallas cheaper than Los Angeles?
Dallas has the lower day-to-day cost index (101 vs 149 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Los Angeles equals $85,000 in Dallas?
A household earning $85,000 in Dallas needs about $107,000 in Los Angeles to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Los Angeles lifestyle costs about $64,500 in Dallas.