There are any number of reports on the internet saying how much it costs to live in various American cities, and a new one from from travel website Upgraded Points has some sort-of good news for the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Dallas-Fort Worth comes in at 26 on its list of large metro areas in terms living “comfortable.” The bad news, based on median income data, is that many people are living in uncomfortable conditions here.
Upgraded Points didn’t define precisely what it meant by comfortably — a PS5, vacation travel? — but instead said it based its list on “the 50/30/20 rule, a well-balanced budget allocates 50% of income to necessities, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings or debt repayment.” Also, note that DFW is a big place. Housing prices tend to run lower overall in Fort Worth, and vary widely among communities.
Incomes Needed in Dallas-Fort Worth
- One adult: $107,061
- Two adults: $137,978
- Two adults, one child: $184,228
- Two adults, two kids: $220,982
- Two adults, three kids: $264,718
On a positive note, local income figures are not much above average nationwide, Upgraded Points reported, based on data from the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.
“Nationally, a single adult with no children in 2025 would need $106,745 per year in pretax income to stay within this budget structure. For 2 adults with no children, the threshold rises to a combined $138,643. Costs increase significantly with the addition of children: A 2-parent household would need $194,038 with 1 child, $233,158 with 2, and $278,252 with 3.”…