Abilene vs Dallas
The short version
- Abilene is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Dallas area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $183,700 in Abilene and $320,700 in Dallas.
- Households earn more in Dallas ($70,518 vs $62,648 median).
- Abilene is growing faster: +5.3% since 2020 vs +1.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Abilene (16 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Abilene, TX | Dallas, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 131,588 | 1,329,491 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.3% | +1.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,234 | 3,914 |
| Median age | 32.8 | 33.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $62,648 | $70,518 |
| Median home value | $183,700 | $320,700 |
| Home value to income | 2.9× | 4.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,157 | $1,472 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.4 | 103.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 73.8 | 117.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,800 | $77,300 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 15.6 | 25.7 |
| Work from home | 8% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3% | 4.9% |
| Poverty rate | 16.1% | 16.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 34° | 58° / 38° |
| July high / low | 96° / 73° | 97° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 25 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 102 | 108 |
| Nights below freezing | 48 | 23 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 83.8 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 28% |
| Home prices, past year | +9% | +0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +46.3% | +35.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Abilene: March to April and October to November. Dallas: March to April and November.
Full monthly tables: Abilene weather by month and Dallas weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,800 in Abilene and $77,300 in Dallas. Moving from Abilene to Dallas, you would need about $85,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Abilene and Dallas
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Abilene and Dallas.
Which would you pick?
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