Dayton vs San Antonio
The short version
- Dayton is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the San Antonio area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $100,600 in Dayton and $235,700 in San Antonio.
- Households earn more in San Antonio ($65,056 vs $45,247 median).
- San Antonio has the warmer winter: January highs of 63°F vs 37°F.
- Dayton gets far more snow: 25 inches a year vs 0.
- San Antonio has more scorching days: 122 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 16.
- San Antonio is growing faster: +8% since 2020 vs -0.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Dayton (20 vs 25 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Ohio's top rate is 2.75%.
Side by side
| Dayton, OH | San Antonio, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 136,688 | 1,548,422 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.7% | +8% |
| People per square mile | 2,449 | 3,103 |
| Median age | 34.1 | 34.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22% | 29% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $45,247 | $65,056 |
| Median home value | $100,600 | $235,700 |
| Home value to income | 2.2× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $918 | $1,324 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.7 | 94.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 72.7 | 94.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,500 | $71,000 |
| Homeowners | 48% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 2.75% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.29% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.3 | 24.5 |
| Work from home | 10% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 9% | 6.2% |
| Poverty rate | 26.9% | 17.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 37° / 22° | 63° / 41° |
| July high / low | 86° / 66° | 95° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 41 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 25 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 122 |
| Nights below freezing | 110 | 14 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 92.7 | 99.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.3% | -0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49.7% | +29.3% |
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: Dayton: April and June to October. San Antonio: February to April and October to December.
Full monthly tables: Dayton weather by month and San Antonio weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,500 in Dayton and $71,000 in San Antonio. Moving from Dayton to San Antonio, you would need about $76,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Dayton and San Antonio
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Dayton and San Antonio.
Which would you pick?
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