less money, more problems
Making $100K in Dallas in 2025 doesn't stretch as far as it used to
A $100,000 salary doesn't go as far as it used to in Dallas.
Dallas' increasing cost of living means making six figures isn't going as far as it used to, according to a just-released income study by personal finance website SmartAsset.
An annual $100,000 salary in Dallas is worth only $77,197 after taxes and when adjusted for the city's cost of living, the annual report revealed. That's nearly $900 less than what six-figure-earning Dallasites were bringing home in 2024.
North Texans living in Plano are taking home even less: The study says a Plano resident's six-figure salary is only worth $71,372 in 2025.
In the report's rankings of U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the least, Plano ranked at No. 26, while Dallas ranked 38th.
Manhattan, New York is the No. 1 place where a six-figure salary is worth the least, where a New Yorker's take-home pay is only worth $30,362 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.
The report warns a six-figure salary may seem comfortable at first, but it may not stretch as far depending on where an individual lives, any applicable tax obligations, and the rate of inflation.
"Earning $100,000 places an individual tax filer at the upper limit of the 22 percent federal tax bracket," the report's author wrote. "But taxes aren’t the only factor. The cost of living varies widely across the country, affecting how much purchasing power remains after necessary expenses."
Cities a $100,000 salary goes the furthest
The U.S. city where a six-figure salary goes the furthest is Oklahoma City, where residents come away with $89,989 after all expenses.
Despite a six-figure salary not stretching very far in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas cities actually dominated the top 10 list of U.S. cities where a $100,000 is worth the most. Texas doesn't impose state or local income taxes, which likely boosted its statewide six-figure salary value.
Six-figure earners living in El Paso see the greatest amount in take-home pay statewide, according to SmartAsset, with residents making $89,114 annually after taxes and expenses in 2025. That's $274 more than 2024's take-home pay.
The four other Texas cities where a $100,000 salary goes the furthest after taxes and expenses are:
- No. 3 – Corpus Christi ($88,015)
- No. 6 – Lubbock ($86,846)
- No. 7 – San Antonio ($86,084)
- No. 9 – Houston ($83,343)
