Moving to Dallas-Fort Worth
Dallas vs Houston for renters
In short
In the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, the median gross rent for a one-bedroom is $1,393 a month; in the Houston metro it is $1,214 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024). Both are in Texas, with no state income tax. The average commute is 27.9 minutes around Dallas and 29.9 around Houston.
By Joon Ma, designated broker, TREC #709941
Updated October 2026 · Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BEA Regional Price Parities 2024; NOAA Climate Normals 1991–2020
How this comparison works
Interstate 45 runs between Dallas and Houston, and this page sets the two metro areas side by side on the measures a renter can check: rent by bedroom, prices, taxes, the commute, rail, weather and the main job centers.
Every figure comes from a public source, with its edition and the date we checked it. Where we can, we compare metro areas, because rents and commutes cross city lines. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro is 11 counties; the Census Bureau now calls the Houston metro Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, a name that changed with the 2023 delineation. City figures for Dallas and Houston follow the metro ones.
We don’t rank the two. Where one costs more, the numbers say so; which one suits you depends on where you will work and how you want to live.
Rent by bedroom
The Census figure is median gross rent: the rent plus utilities when the renter pays them. It covers every rental, houses and duplexes included, not only apartments, so a new complex can run above these medians.
| Bedrooms | Dallas-Fort Worth | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,388 | $1,195 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,393 | $1,214 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,660 | $1,438 |
| 3 bedrooms | $1,934 | $1,773 |
| All rentals | $1,614 | $1,430 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, table B25031, metro areas, in 2024 dollars.
These are survey estimates. For the metro medians in this table, the Census margin of error, at 90 percent confidence, runs from $6 to $20 a month, small next to the gaps between the two.
Across the two metros, Dallas-Fort Worth runs higher at every size. For a one-bedroom the gap is $179 a month ($1,393 against $1,214); for two bedrooms it is $222; for three, $161.
| Bedrooms | City of Dallas | City of Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,335 | $1,182 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,354 | $1,194 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,607 | $1,425 |
| 3 bedrooms | $1,665 | $1,738 |
| All rentals | $1,472 | $1,361 |
Source: the same table, for the city of Dallas and the city of Houston.
Inside the two cities the picture is closer. A one-bedroom in the city of Dallas has a median of $1,354 and in Houston $1,194, $160 apart. At three bedrooms the order flips: Houston’s median, $1,738, is $73 above Dallas’s, $1,665.
Within Dallas-Fort Worth, rent also changes from city to city. Our guide to the Dallas suburbs gives the same Census figures for the 17 other cities we cover.
Prices and taxes
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis measures how price levels differ between metro areas, with the U.S. average set at 100. Its 2024 figures, released February 19, 2026, put Dallas-Fort Worth at 103.1 and Houston at 98.6 for all goods and services.
Housing rents are where the two differ most: 117.9 in Dallas-Fort Worth and 104.5 in Houston, a gap of 13.4 points, against 4.5 for prices as a whole.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by metro area, 2024; rounded to one decimal.
Taxes don’t separate them. Both are in Texas, whose constitution prohibits a state tax on personal income (Article 8, Section 24-a). The state sales tax is 6.25 percent everywhere, and local governments can add up to 2 percent, so neither city can pass 8.25 percent combined.
Sources: Texas Constitution, Art. 8, Sec. 24-a; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Sales and Use Tax.
Commute and transit
Workers in the Houston metro who don’t work from home average 29.9 minutes to get there; in Dallas-Fort Worth, 27.9. Public transportation carries 1.5 percent of Houston-area workers and 0.7 percent of those around Dallas: in both, fewer than 2 workers in 100 commute by bus or train.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, table S0801, metro areas.
Rail around Dallas
Dallas Area Rapid Transit runs 93 miles of light rail, which DART describes as one of the longest light rail systems in the United States. Its Silver Line, a 26-mile commuter line between Plano and DFW Airport, opened on October 25, 2025. The Trinity Railway Express has linked downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth since 1996, and TEXRail runs from Fort Worth to DFW Airport.
Two lines reach DFW Airport’s terminals from the Dallas side: the Orange Line at Terminal A and the Silver Line at Terminal B, where TEXRail also stops. From downtown Dallas, the drive to Dallas Love Field takes 14 min by car.
Rail around Houston
Houston’s METRORail has three light rail lines, Red, Green and Purple, over 22.7 miles. The Red Line, open since January 1, 2004, runs north–south through downtown to the Texas Medical Center and NRG Park. METRORail does not run to either of Houston’s airports, George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby.
Rail around Dallas reaches past the city line, which matters if you would rather ride than drive. The Red Line ends at Parker Road in Plano; the Silver Line stops in Plano, Richardson, Addison and Carrollton; the A-train runs from Carrollton through Lewisville to Denton; and TEXRail stops at Grapevine’s Main Street on its way to the airport.
If you are keeping a job in Houston for a while, time the drive between the two downtowns on I-45 before you choose a side of Dallas to live on: 4.2 hours by car, downtown Houston to downtown Dallas.
Weather
Summers are close. July averages 85.7°F at DFW Airport and 85.1°F at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental, less than a degree apart. Winters differ more: January averages 46.3°F at DFW and 53.8°F at Bush.
| Measure | DFW Airport | Houston Bush Intercontinental |
|---|---|---|
| January average | 46.3°F (7.9°C) | 53.8°F (12.1°C) |
| July average | 85.7°F (29.8°C) | 85.1°F (29.5°C) |
| Precipitation a year | 37.01 in (940 mm) | 51.84 in (1317 mm) |
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; DFW Airport and Houston Intercontinental stations. Celsius and millimeters converted by AptViva.
Houston gets about 15 more inches of precipitation a year than DFW (51.84 against 37.01). When you tour, ask each community how its parking and walkways handle a heavy storm; the answer tells you about the building, wherever it is.
Where the jobs are
Both metros have more than one center of work, and the commute you will make matters more for the search than the city name on the lease.
Around Dallas
- Downtown Dallas and Uptown, just north of it.
- Las Colinas in Irving, a planned business district developed from 1972 that is home to more than 2,000 companies.
- The Telecom Corridor in Richardson, about 6.5 miles along US 75 between the George Bush Turnpike and I-635.
- Legacy West and the offices around it in west Plano.
- DFW Airport itself, whose grounds reach into Grapevine, Irving, Euless and Coppell.
- Downtown Fort Worth, west of Dallas, with the TRE to downtown Dallas and TEXRail to the airport.
Around Houston
- Downtown Houston, where the METRORail lines meet.
- The Texas Medical Center, in south-central Houston on the Red Line, with more than 120,000 employees by its own count.
- The Energy Corridor, a district of more than 2,000 acres along I-10 west of downtown.
Moving for a job in one of the Dallas centers? Tell us the address. We start the list from the drive or the train you would take each morning, then look at rent and size.
When to start looking
Most communities in Dallas-Fort Worth hold a unit only 45 to 60 days ahead, because their residents give about 60 days of notice. Start your search about two months before your move date; earlier than that, most of what you see will be gone by the time you arrive. Our guide on when to start your apartment search lays out the two months week by week.
Set the budget before the tours. Many communities ask that a household earn about three times the monthly rent, and they count the full rent, not the price after a special. The rent calculator runs that math for you.
Moving up from Houston
Houston is a drive away, so a weekend of tours in person is realistic. Send us what you need first, then we line up the places on your shortlist back to back and confirm each one by phone the day before.
You can also apply before you arrive; our Moving to Dallas-Fort Worth guide explains what communities ask for and how far ahead to start.
The 3 hours of moving we include at participating communities are local, inside Dallas-Fort Worth: they do not cover the trip up I-45. If you land in temporary housing first, they can cover the move from there to your apartment. Or choose the cash option instead. Restrictions apply. See terms
Sources
Every figure on this page was checked on October 2, 2026, against these sources.
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, table B25031 (median gross rent by bedrooms)
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates, table S0801 (commuting characteristics)
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020
- Texas Constitution, Article 8, Section 24-a
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Sales and Use Tax
- DART, rail system
- Wikipedia, Silver Line (DART)
- Wikipedia, Trinity Railway Express
- Wikipedia, Orange Line (DART)
- Wikipedia, METRORail
- Texas Medical Center, About TMC
- Energy Corridor District, About
- Wikipedia, Las Colinas
- Wikipedia, Telecom Corridor
- Wikipedia, Interstate 45
Tell us where you will work
Give us the address of your new job or school, your move date and your budget. A licensed agent builds a list around that commute, checked by phone, and the search costs you nothing: the community pays us.
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A licensed agent will get back to you the way you asked, and will build your list from there.