Arlington vs Dallas
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $304,700 in Arlington and $320,700 in Dallas.
- Households earn more in Arlington ($75,171 vs $70,518 median).
Side by side
| Arlington, TX | Dallas, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 402,134 | 1,329,491 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2% | +1.9% |
| People per square mile | 4,196 | 3,914 |
| Median age | 33.7 | 33.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $75,171 | $70,518 |
| Median home value | $304,700 | $320,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.1× | 4.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,470 | $1,472 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.1 | 103.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 117.9 | 117.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,300 | $77,300 |
| Homeowners | 54% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.6 | 25.7 |
| Work from home | 13% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.7% | 4.9% |
| Poverty rate | 12.9% | 16.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 57° / 36° | 58° / 38° |
| July high / low | 96° / 76° | 97° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 37 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 106 | 108 |
| Nights below freezing | 29 | 23 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.1 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 28% | 28% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.7% | +0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +34.4% | +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: Arlington: March to April and October to November. Dallas: March to April and November.
Full monthly tables: Arlington 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 $77,300 in Arlington and $77,300 in Dallas. Moving from Arlington to Dallas, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Arlington 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 Arlington and Dallas.
Which would you pick?
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