Is Moving to Dallas Right for You?

The Cost of Living in Dallas and the Dallas Job Market

Cost of Living in Dallas.

Before we tell you all about the pros (and cons) of living in Dallas, we’re going to fill you in on some very important stuff — like the cost of living, the strength of the job market, and the best places to live in the city.

Dallas could be the coolest city in the world, but if you can’t swing it financially, there is no point considering the move. While living in Dallas is more expensive than living in other parts of the United States… it’s not San Francisco expensive. If you shop around hard enough, you will find a nice place you can afford.

Given that “Cost of Living” can often turn into an abstract theoretical discussion with little practical import (for example, the “Cost of Living Index” in Dallas is 70.2… but that’s not exactly helpful), we are going to give you examples of how much certain purchases would cost in Dallas.

A tasty sit-down lunch: $14

A meal at a fast-food joint: $7-$8

A dozen eggs: $2.77

Monthly rent for an apartment (expensive): $1,500

Monthly rent for an apartment (moderate): $1,300

Monthly utilities for one person: $100

Dinner for two: $40

Cocktail at a downtown bar/ club: $10

Cappuccino: $5

As you can see from this short list, everything seems to be pretty reasonable… save for housing. As such, the cost of living in Dallas is roughly 1% above the national average. Dallas is a popular city and like any growing city, housing prices can grow with the population. Now, if you are really considering moving to Dallas, you should know that the average salary is roughly $60,000. Keep this in mind as you apply for jobs and go about your negotiation process. Which brings us to our next point: the Dallas job market.

The Dallas Job Market.

According to data from Indeed, Dallas is third in the U.S. for highest salaries (this is after adjusting for the cost of living expenses). A big reason for this is the massive corporations that have made their headquarters in or near Dallas, Texas. AMR Corporation, for example, also known as American Airlines, is headquartered in neighboring Fort Worth and employs 25,000 people from flight attendants to engineers. You might also be familiar with Southwest Airlines, AT&T, ExxonMobil, JCPenney, Kronos, and Fossil: all large companies that have chosen Dallas for their headquarters.

Healthcare is also quite big in the Dallas area, with both Texas Health Resources, Inc. and the Baylor Healthcare System making up a large share of the employment scene.

Not to mention, Dallas is known for being an extremely affordable city for business owners to get their businesses up and running — ranked tenth by Forbes Magazine for “Best Places for Business and Careers.”

Even if you aren’t looking to start your own business, the career opportunities in Dallas are growing. Like we mentioned before, in 2017 Dallas boasted the second highest rate of job growth in the US. Hungry entrepreneurs are building businesses that need employees.

Originally published at https://www.getbellhops.com.