Moving from Dallas to Sacramento
Moving to Sacramento costs you $912 a month
−$10,944 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Dallas leftover
$3,034
a month after tax and rent
Sacramento leftover
$2,122
−$912 vs Dallas
In 2022-2023, 244 households moved Dallas → Sacramento (avg AGI $62,648). 525 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Dallas | Sacramento | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,958 | $8,036 | +$78 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,661 | $2,100 | +$439 |
| Take-home pay | $6,298 | $5,936 | −$361 |
| Rent | $1,263 | $1,677 | +$414 |
| Getting around | $580 | $600 | +$20 |
| Groceries | $392 | $424 | +$32 |
| Healthcare | $441 | $477 | +$36 |
| Utilities | $245 | $265 | +$20 |
| Everything else | $343 | $371 | +$28 |
| Left over | $3,034 | $2,122 | −$912 |
To break even in Sacramento, you'd need to earn
$114,500
Household gross, versus $95,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Dallas does now.
The tax difference alone
−$4,996
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.9% in Dallas, 26.1% in Sacramento.
More about Sacramento
Dallas, TX in full
No income tax, endless new construction, and a 1.5% property tax bill.
Sacramento, CA in full
Bay Area access at two-thirds the rent, with California's tax bill intact.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Sacramento on Sacramento wages.
Sacramento → Dallas →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Sacramento than Dallas?
A one-bedroom is about $1,263 in Dallas versus $1,677 in Sacramento. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $912 a month lower in Sacramento. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Sacramento have state income tax?
Sacramento is in California, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Dallas to Sacramento?
Take-home pay is recalculated under California tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.