The Dallas Cost of Living Compared to Other Areas of the Country

The growth and development of Dallas communities makes Dallas an exciting place to be. If you are thinking of moving there, you will want to explore all the statistics about the place before you make your decision. The Dallas cost of living is one consideration.

To judge the Dallas cost of living, notice that the composite score of the cost of living index is 100 for the United States. This is the base figure. All other statistics are based upon this. The Dallas cost of living, with a composite score of 95.2, has reasonable prices. They are mostly below the national average.

Some of the other large cities have much higher composite ratings than the Dallas cost of living. Seattle, Washington has a composite index of 118.6. Los Angeles is higher, at 153.1. Manhattan is even higher. Its composite score is 212.1. The Dallas cost of living is cheap by these standards.

There are also individual indices for groceries, housing, and utilities. There are others for transportation, healthcare, and goods and services. Among Dallas, Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Seattle, Dallas cost of living indices are all the best.

There is a big difference in these cities in the housing index. The Dallas cost of living for houses is a low 84.4. The Manhattan cost is 399.2. Even the Seattle housing costs are rated much higher, at 132.5. This all means that the same homes cost a lot less in Dallas.

The Dallas cost of living determines what you can afford. If you moved from Dallas starting with an income of around $50,000, you would have to have a 123% increase in salary to buy the same things in Manhattan.

In fact, moving from most cities to Dallas, you can afford more on the same money. Only a few cities have a lower cost of living than the Dallas cost of living. Peoria, Illinois is one.

You can tell the difference in the Dallas cost of living if you notice the prices of services. A doctor visit in Dallas costs about $79. In Los Angeles it would be around $103. In Manhattan, it would be about $105.

A trip to the beauty salon can give a clue to the Dallas cost of living. The price for a trip is $23 in Dallas. However, in Los Angeles, it is $46. Even in Tampa, Florida, the cost is $30.

The Dallas cost of living can be seen in the prices at the grocery store. Cereal, for example, is about $2.83. In some of the other areas it can be over $4. Bananas to put on that cereal are generally cheaper, too. They are about $.049 in Dallas, but more than that in most places.

Dallas may not be the absolutely most inexpensive place to live in the country. However, the Dallas cost of living compares very favorably to other large cities. It is even better than some smaller ones.

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