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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)

SmartAsset used its paycheck calculator to apply federal, state and local taxes to an annual salary of $100,000 in 69 of the largest American cities, which was then adjusted for the local cost of living (which included average costs for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services).

smartasset study finance salaries six figures

Stocks and bonds

New York Stock Exchange will open office in Dallas

Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash

Dollar bills

The New York Stock Exchange is coming to Texas. According to a release, the financial institution plans to launch NYSE Texas, an electronic equities exchange to be headquartered in Dallas, where it will provide companies with a listing and trading venue that is centered on the economy of the Southwest.

As part of the plan, they'll close down NYSE Chicago to be renamed NYSE Texas.

"What remains of the Chicago Stock Exchange will be history," says the Chicago Sun Times. "The New York Stock Exchange owns what’s left of the equities marketplace and has announced it will move it to Dallas and reincorporate it as the NYSE Texas."

The New York Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange in New York's financial district, under parent company the Intercontinental Exchange. It exists to help people invest and businesses to raise capital. Investing money into stocks and bonds is one way that not-rich people can build a nest egg.

The expansion to Texas is just a reflection of the fact that Texas' economy is growing, says NYSE Group president Lynn Martin.

“As the state with the largest number of NYSE listings, representing over $3.7 trillion in market value for our community, Texas is a market leader in fostering a pro-business atmosphere,” Martin says. “We are delighted to expand our presence in the Lone Star State, which plays a key role in driving our U.S. economy forward.”'

The move comes five months after the Texas Stock Exchange — AKA NASDAQ — announced it would launch in Dallas and begin trading in 2026, pending approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Texas Stock Exchange is backed by financial giants such as BlackRock, Citadel Securities, and Charles Schwab.

Having these exchanges in Texas will give companies more opportunities to list their companies and go public, and will give Texas a higher profile as "the financial capital of America," says Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a statement.

Both new exchanges — NYSE and Texas Stock Exchange — will operate electronically, with stocks trading across multiple venues regardless of where they are first listed.

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