City guide · Dallas–Fort Worth area
Moving to Dallas
Dallas has about 1.33 million people and sits at the center of an 8.5-million-person metro made of dozens of separate cities. A one-bedroom averages about $1,317 a month, Texas has no state income tax, and DART runs 93 miles of light rail, but property taxes are high and most people drive. Summers are hot, and spring brings hail, tornadoes and flash floods.
First time here? Moving to Dallas? Start here →
What do you want to know about Dallas?
What are the key facts about Dallas?
| Fact | Dallas |
|---|---|
| Population | About 1.33 million city, 8.48 million metro (Census estimates, July 2025) |
| Average 1-bedroom rent | $1,317 (Zumper, October 2026) |
| State income tax | None |
| Sales tax | 8.25% |
| Minimum wage | $7.25/hour (federal) |
| Living wage, 1 adult | $23.31/hour (MIT, Dallas County) |
| DART fares | $3 for 3 hours, $6 local day pass, $9 regional day pass |
| January average high / low | About 57°F / 36°F |
| August average high / low | About 96°F / 76°F |
| Days at 100°F or hotter | About 20 a year (1991–2020 average) |
What makes Dallas different?
Size and sprawl
The city of Dallas alone is about 340 square miles. The region spreads out from there in every direction. A few roads shape daily life: LBJ Freeway (I-635) loops across the north side, I-35E (Stemmons Freeway) runs northwest past downtown, and US-75 (Central Expressway) heads north toward Richardson and Plano. Where you live relative to these roads and your job matters more than miles on a map. A 12-mile commute can take 20 minutes or an hour.
How expensive is it to live in Dallas?
Cheaper than the big coastal cities. MIT estimates a single adult in Dallas County needs about $48,500 a year before taxes ($23.31 an hour) to cover a basic budget, compared with about $45,000 in Houston, $52,900 in Chicago, $54,000 in Miami and $79,500 in Manhattan. Housing is the biggest cost at about $17,800 a year, and transportation is next at about $8,400, because most people drive.
What taxes will you pay in Dallas?
- No state income tax. Texas doesn’t tax wages, so you pay only federal income tax.
- Sales tax of 8.25%: 6.25% state plus 2% local.
- High property taxes. Renters don’t get a bill, but landlords build property taxes into rent.
Cash to move in: about $2,766 for a renter without a car (first month’s rent, a one-month deposit and a month of transit). See how Dallas compares on move-in costs with the other cities we cover.
Go deeper
What should you know before renting in Dallas?
Renters have the upper hand right now. Zumper put the average one-bedroom at $1,317 a month in October 2026, down 9% from a year earlier, after years of heavy apartment building. More than half of Dallas-Fort Worth listings offered a move-in deal in August 2026, according to Realtor.com, so ask for one.
Texas law doesn’t cap security deposits, but landlords must refund your deposit, or explain any deductions in writing, within 30 days after you move out and give a forwarding address. Ask about covered parking (hail is common), creek flooding, parking and pet fees before you sign. Texas leases must also include a flood disclosure.
Go deeper
Browse Dallas apartment buildings
Our free sister site, DallasApartmentBuildings.com, lists 259 apartment buildings in Dallas, with the year built, size, pet policy and amenities for each. Pick a neighborhood to see its buildings.
- Downtown / Farmers Market46 buildings
- Bishop Arts / North Oak Cliff28 buildings
- Uptown / State-Thomas24 buildings
- Victory Park / Design District20 buildings
- Turtle Creek / Oak Lawn19 buildings
- Deep Ellum / Old East Dallas17 buildings
- Far North Dallas / Galleria16 buildings
- Vickery Meadow15 buildings
- West Dallas / Trinity Groves15 buildings
- Knox-Henderson / Lower Greenville14 buildings
- Lake Highlands12 buildings
- The Cedars11 buildings
Some of the largest buildings in the directory
See all 15 neighborhoods and 259 buildings on DallasApartmentBuildings.com →
How do you get around Dallas?
Most people drive. Living with little or no car is realistic mainly in Downtown, Uptown and Deep Ellum, near DART rail and the free M-Line trolley.
- DART light rail: four lines (Red, Blue, Green and Orange) on 93 miles of track, all meeting downtown. The Orange Line reaches DFW Airport.
- Silver Line: a commuter train from Plano through the northern suburbs to DFW Airport, open since October 2025.
- Fares: $3 for a 3-hour pass, $6 for a local day pass, and $9 for a regional day pass that adds the TRE train to Fort Worth.
- Highways and toll roads: LBJ Freeway (I-635), Central Expressway (US-75) and tollways that take an NTTA TollTag.
Go deeper
What is the weather like in Dallas?
Hot summers, mild winters with a few hard freezes, and stormy springs. These are averages from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for DFW Airport:
| Month | Average high | Average low |
|---|---|---|
| January | 57°F | 36°F |
| April | 76°F | 55°F |
| July | 96°F | 76°F |
| October | 78°F | 57°F |
Dallas gets about 37 inches of rain a year and averages about 20 days at 100°F or hotter. Spring storm season brings hail, tornadoes and flash floods, and winter ice storms can knock out power, as Winter Storm Uri did in February 2021. Sign up for local alerts, park under cover when hail is forecast, and check what your renters insurance covers.
Go deeper
What is the job market like in Dallas?
Dallas’s economy is built on corporate headquarters (24 Fortune 500 companies in DFW), finance, health care, logistics around DFW Airport, tech, and defense and aerospace. Typical Texas salaries by job type, from Bureau of Labor Statistics data compiled by MIT. These are statewide Texas figures, not Dallas-specific ones:
| Job type | Typical salary |
|---|---|
| Management | $133,180 |
| Legal | $121,730 |
| Computer and math | $110,420 |
| Architecture and engineering | $102,180 |
| Healthcare practitioners | $97,480 |
| Business and finance | $86,050 |
| Education | $60,370 |
| Sales | $50,320 |
| Office and administrative support | $47,040 |
| Food preparation and serving | $31,040 |
Go deeper
Where do newcomers live in Dallas?
- Uptown and Victory Park: high-rise and mid-rise apartments, walkable, with the free M-Line trolley and nearby DART rail. The priciest areas.
- Downtown: towers and converted historic office buildings, where every DART rail line meets.
- Deep Ellum: music venues, bars and newer apartments just east of downtown, on the Green Line.
- Oak Lawn and Knox-Henderson: walkable streets close to Uptown, with a mix of older and newer buildings.
- Lower Greenville and Lakewood: East Dallas neighborhoods near White Rock Lake, with more space for the money.
- Bishop Arts and Oak Cliff: older homes, small shops and lower rents across the Trinity River.
- Nearby cities: Plano, Richardson, Irving/Las Colinas, Addison and Frisco, for big office campuses and newer suburbs.
Go deeper
Frequently asked questions about moving to Dallas
How much is rent in Dallas?
The average one-bedroom was about $1,317 a month in October 2026, according to Zumper, down 9% from a year earlier.
Does Texas have a state income tax?
No. Texas has no personal state income tax. Dallas’s sales tax is 8.25%, and property taxes are high.
Do you need a car in Dallas?
Almost everyone does. Living car-light is realistic mainly in Downtown, Uptown and Deep Ellum, near DART rail.
How long do you have to switch your car and license to Texas?
30 days to register your car, after a passing emissions inspection in Dallas County, and 90 days to get a Texas driver license.
When is storm season in Dallas?
Spring, roughly March through June, brings most of the hail and tornadoes. Ice storms are rare but can happen in winter.
What have we written about Dallas so far?
Sources
- Population: U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Dallas city, Texas (Vintage 2025); metro: FRED, Census data
- Rents: Zumper, Dallas rent prices (October 2026)
- Living wage and budget: MIT Living Wage Calculator, Dallas County (February 2026)
- Sales tax: Kintsugi, Dallas sales tax rate (September 2026)
- Fares: DART, Regional fare adjustments (February 2026); see our Dallas transit guide for local fares
- Move-in deals: Realtor.com, August 2026 monthly rent report
- Security deposits: Texas Property Code, Chapter 92
- Car registration and license deadlines: TxDMV, New to Texas (accessed October 2026)
- Weather: NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals for DFW Airport; see our Dallas weather guide for the full table
- Salaries: MIT Living Wage Calculator (statewide Texas data)
- Fortune 500 count: see our Dallas job market guide
- City population and land area: U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Dallas city, Texas (Vintage 2025) (May 2026)