Living the Good Life

Here's how much money you need to make to live comfortably in Dallas

Dallas' affordable homes make it easier to live comfortably here.

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman Sotheby's

At least we don't live in San Francisco. That's the biggest takeaway from a recent report from finance website Finder, which looked at 78 U.S. cities to determine what income level is required to live comfortably in that area. Dallas and Houston, not surprisingly, fared well thanks to low housing costs.

"Living comfortably" sounds subjective, but Finder focused on certain criteria: the ability to purchase an average home (presuming a 20 percent deposit has been saved), the ability to cover average per-person expenditure, and the ability to pay off annual non-mortgage related household debt.

To get these figures, Finder studied median home prices, average mortgage interest rates, non-mortgage debt in the city, and everyday expenditures.

Out of 78 cities, Dallas ranks No. 54 (the lower the number, the better). To own an average home valued at $133,000, plus be able to pay for yearly non-mortgage expenses and debt, a Dallasite would need to earn a salary of at least $50,326.

Houston ranks No. 51, requiring a salary of $50,568 to afford a $142,000 home and other essential expenses.

San Francisco takes the No. 1 spot with a medium home price of $1,119,500, necessitating a salary of $180,600. The Golden Gate City joins five others in the top 10 — San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, and Seattle — that require high salaries due to exorbitant home values.

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Winter Wonderland

Dallas dazzles as one of the hottest winter travel destinations of 2026

Photo courtesy of Downtown Dallas Inc.

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Dallas' sunny disposition and affordable holiday happenings make it a hotspot for a winter getaway, and Dallas-Fort Worth has just been declared the No. 3 best winter destination for warm-weather lovers in 2026.

The ranking comes in WalletHub's new study, "Best Winter Holiday Destinations," which analyzed 69 U.S. metros based on the cost and convenience of traveling and the affordability of local attractions and activities. The rankings were categorized into six key dimensions: travel costs and hassles, local costs, attractions, weather, warm-weather activities, and safety, and the results were broken down by cold weather and warm weather.

Las Vegas leads the nation as the No. 1 best warm-weather winter destination, while Atlanta, Georgia ranks No. 1 among cold winter winter wonderlands.

The report found Dallas-Fort Worth ranks No. 2 nationwide for its travel costs and hassles and its favorable weather conditions during the winter. The metro also boasts the fifth-lowest "local costs," which included the cost of a three-star hotel room, the average price for a two-person meal, taxi fares costs, and the cost of living.

While Halloween is still on the horizon, that hasn't stopped local businesses from sharing their jolly events and pop-ups happening around DFW this holiday season. Across the final three categories, DFW appeared 12th nationally in the attractions and warm-weather activities ranks, and ranked 26th overall for safety.

"Whether you love to have a chill in your bones during the winter travel season or prefer to escape to somewhere sunny, the top travel destinations can cost as little as $200-$300 to reach by plane from major U.S. cities, with no connections," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the top cities also have an abundance of attractions that fit their weather patterns, along with high-quality restaurants and relatively low crime rates."

Texas dominates the 10 best warm-weather winter destinations for 2026 with Austin (No. 4), Houston (No. 6), and San Antonio (No. 9) joining DFW. Four other Texas cities earned spots lower on the list: McAllen-Edinburg-Mission (No. 26), Brownsville-Harlingen (No. 31), Corpus Christi (No. 33), and Beaumont-Port Arthur (No. 35).

The top 10 best warm-weather winter destinations for 2026 are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada
No. 2 – San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California
No. 3 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 4 – Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
No. 6 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
No. 7 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
No. 8 – Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida
No. 9 – San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas
No. 10 – San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California

dallas fort worth winter destinations winter festivities wallethub reports