Cost of Living in Dallas, TX (2026): What Renters Should Budget

Updated November 2026. Rent figures reflect October 2026 estimates from Apartment List's November report.

According to the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index, Dallas's median rent is $1,321, down 0.64% from a year earlier and about 5% below the national median.

Fort Worth, in the same metro, asks about $16 more overall but less for a one-bedroom or two-bedroom, so the cheaper city depends on the size you rent. The illustrative partial budget below adds electricity and groceries to a median one-bedroom's rent.

Dallas Cost of Living at a Glance

Source for rent rows: Apartment List's November 2026 release; October 2026 rent estimates. Full method and sources are in the appendix.

How to use these numbers: Start with the rent for the unit size you're considering. Add the planning estimates that apply to you, then replace them with listing-specific charges and your expected usage.

What Is the Median Rent in Dallas in 2026?

The Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index shows Dallas medians of $1,207 for a one-bedroom, $1,428 for a two-bedroom, and $1,321 across all apartment sizes. Apartment List reports the median, the market midpoint, rather than an average; its methodology describes it as the rent an apartment searcher could expect across the full rental market.

Dallas rents are edging down. The median fell 0.64% over the 12 months through October 2026 and slipped 0.23% in October alone. The 12-month change has been negative for 41 consecutive months, which does not mean rents fell in every individual month, and the decline narrowed in September and October. The national median was essentially flat, up 0.06% over the same 12 months. In October 2026, 34.6% of the Dallas properties Apartment List tracks offered a concession worth at least one month of free rent, a share the rent medians do not reflect.

Dallas Rent by Apartment Size

By size, the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index puts Dallas medians at $1,207 for a one-bedroom and $1,428 for a two-bedroom, as listed in the At a Glance table.

Is $1,300 a Fair Rent for a 1 Bedroom in Dallas?

$1,300 falls within the range of advertised one-bedroom starting rents in this sample, slightly above its median. As of October 26, 2026, 55% of Dallas listings on Apartment List with one-bedroom availability have starting asking rents of $1,300 or less. The median starting asking rent across those listings is $1,245.

As of October 26, 2026, the middle half of Dallas listings on Apartment List with one-bedroom availability have starting asking rents between $1,000 and $1,600.

Source: Apartment List listings, October 26, 2026. Each listing with one-bedroom availability is counted once, using its lowest one-bedroom asking rent. The sample includes 522 Dallas listings.

The citywide Rent Index median is a different measure from these advertised starting rents. According to the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index, the median one-bedroom rent in Dallas is $1,207. Apartment List's methodology describes the Rent Index median as the rent renters can expect across the whole market. Check any other price with Rate My Rent.

How Does Dallas Rent Compare With Other Texas Cities?

Fort Worth is the one comparison that reverses by size: Dallas has the lower all-sizes median, but Fort Worth's one-bedroom and two-bedroom medians are lower.

Source: Apartment List's November 2026 release; October 2026 rent estimates. City medians, comparing rent rather than total cost.

An all-sizes median combines different apartment types, so it can't tell you which city is cheaper for the apartment you need. Compare the same bedroom count on both sides before treating Dallas's lower citywide median as savings. Houston has the lowest all-sizes median among the four cities compared, and Dallas sits within $16 of Austin and Fort Worth on that measure.

On the all-sizes median, Dallas sits $92 (6.5%) below the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro median of $1,413. The gap narrows to $13 on one-bedrooms and $21 on two-bedrooms. The metro figure includes Dallas itself alongside Fort Worth, Arlington, and the surrounding communities, so it describes the region rather than what any one suburb costs.

Compare total cost rather than rent alone. The Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator compares Dallas with your current city using after-tax household income.

What Salary Do You Need to Rent in Dallas?

Using the $1,207 median one-bedroom rent from Apartment List's November 2026 report, a rent-only budget of 30% of gross income needs about $48,280 a year. A common planning rule treats 30% of gross income as a housing allowance for rent and utilities together, the share the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers affordable, so the table below is a starting point rather than a full housing budget.

Source: Apartment List's November 2026 release; October 2026 rent estimates. The shared row is one renter's half of the two-bedroom median; the full-rent rows cover the whole apartment.

To turn the allowance into a rent ceiling, subtract the utilities you will pay separately from 30% of your gross monthly income; what remains is the base rent you can carry. Then test the full monthly budget against take-home pay, debt, and savings goals. This calculation is a budgeting benchmark. Confirm the property's income and screening requirements separately.

Many renter budgets exceed that allowance. Apartment List research found that 51.8% of U.S. renter households spent more than 30% of income on housing costs including utilities in 2024, a national figure. Our guide to the 30% rule and how much to spend on rent explains when to flex it.

Texas does not impose a state or local income tax on wages, so none is withheld from a $48,280 salary (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts). Federal income tax and payroll deductions still reduce take-home pay, so use your actual paycheck when you test the full budget.

How Do You Know if You Can Afford a Dallas Apartment?

To test a listing, run the same calculation on its advertised rent and the utilities you will pay separately. A $56,000 salary gives a 30% allowance of $1,400 a month. Subtracting the $135 electricity example leaves a base-rent ceiling of $1,265. That ceiling clears the $1,207 one-bedroom median by $58 and falls $163 short of the $1,428 two-bedroom median.

That $58 is room for housing costs this example has not priced, such as water, sewer, trash, or parking, not spare money. The Rent Calculator sets a starting budget from your income, location, and bedroom needs, and our guide to finding an apartment in your budget walks through the rest.

What Are the Monthly Costs of Living in Dallas Besides Rent?

Price the costs that apply to you, then confirm which charges the building bills separately.

How Much Does Electricity Cost in Dallas?

Budget about $135 a month for electricity at 1,000 kWh, an illustrative allowance from fixed-rate plan prices listed on Power to Choose for Oncor customers in November 2026, before taxes. The middle half of those plans priced between about $126 and $145 at that usage, and your bill changes with the plan you choose and how much you use. Compare each plan's total monthly price at the usage you expect. A plan's Electricity Facts Label average price already includes Oncor's delivery charges, so do not add Oncor again. Ask what the apartment's appliances and heating run on, and ask the landlord for a recent bill from a similar unit.

How Much Are Water and Sewer Bills in Dallas?

Confirm the monthly charge before you compare apartments, because buildings bill water, sewer, and trash in different ways. Some include them in rent, some bill you directly, and some allocate the building's bill across units or add a flat fee. Dallas Water Utilities sets the underlying rates, which shape each of those arrangements even when the property rather than your own account is billed. Ask which applies and what a similar unit paid recently.

How Much Is Public Transit in Dallas?

A local monthly DART pass costs $126 and covers buses, trains, GoLink, and the Dallas Streetcar. A $3.00 three-hour pass makes the monthly pass worth it at around 42 trips; below that, pay per trip. Commuting into Fort Worth or Denton County means a regional pass at $192 a month or $9 a day, as of March 2026. Reduced fares are half price if you qualify. Check DART's map against the apartment's address before you count on transit.

How Much Should You Budget for Groceries in Dallas?

Groceries for one adult run about $441 a month on the national USDA Moderate-Cost plan, from the September 2026 report. That is a national food-at-home planning benchmark, not Dallas grocery spending, so adjust it for your household and how often you eat out.

How Do Solo and Shared Dallas Budgets Compare?

Source: Apartment List's November 2026 release; October 2026 rent estimates. The illustrative partial budget adds rent, electricity, and groceries, rounded to the nearest $10. The shared column splits one two-bedroom and one 1,000 kWh electric bill equally between two renters, an illustrative assumption since a two-bedroom's usage can differ. Each renter keeps the one-adult grocery figure.

If electricity is included in rent, remove the electricity allowance from this example.

Splitting a two-bedroom equally costs each renter about $490 a month less in rent than a one-bedroom on your own, and about $560 less in the illustrative partial budget. The bedroom-specific medians are $221 apart, but actual listing differences vary. Each median is the midpoint of a different pool of apartments, so the step is not the price of adding a bedroom in one building.

Monthly Costs Outside This Example

What Should You Check Before Applying for a Dallas Apartment?

Apartment List is free for renters to use. Confirm any application, administrative, or move-in fees directly with the property. Before you pay a fee, run three checks on the listing:

1. Add the rent and every required recurring charge, including pet rent and any water, sewer, or trash billing, into one monthly total.

2. Add the security deposit, application fee, and any administrative or move-in fees into a separate move-in total. Track the security deposit separately from application and move-in fees, and confirm the refund terms and permitted deductions.

3. List the charges the property has not yet explained, such as how a shared utility bill is split and how the apartment is heated and cooled.

Rent varies by neighborhood. The cheapest neighborhoods in Dallas guide covers price by area, and Rate My Rent, linked in the fair-rent section above, evaluates a specific apartment's price against comparable local listings.

What Do Dallas's 41 Straight Months of Year-over-Year Declines Mean for Your Budget?

Treat the pattern as context for your search rather than a discount on any one apartment, because a median describes the whole market rather than one listing. The main tradeoff is renting a one-bedroom on your own or sharing a two-bedroom. Confirm first which electricity plan fits your usage, whether water and trash are billed to you, and how any month-free offer is applied.

Treat 30% of gross income as a housing allowance, subtract the utilities the lease bills to you to set a base-rent ceiling, and check the full budget against take-home pay. If you are choosing between Dallas and Fort Worth, compare the size you need rather than the all-sizes medians, since the two cities trade places by size. Then browse Dallas apartments and run that check on real listings.

Appendix: Methodology and Data Sources

Apartment List rent figures throughout this guide come from the Apartment List Rent Estimates, November 2026 release, with data as of October 2026.

Rent. November 2026 release, October 2026 estimates. Dallas figures are citywide medians; metro figures cover the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro, and the two are labeled separately wherever both appear. The concession rate is the share of properties offering a concession worth at least one month free and is not reflected in the medians.

Calculations. Annual income = monthly rent × 12 ÷ 0.30, rounded to the nearest $10; income figures are calculations from the cited rent medians, not measured income data. Shared rent assumes two equal shares of the two-bedroom median, using the exact $714 share for the shared income. Modeled utility splits are illustrative, and groceries do not split. Illustrative budget totals and savings are rounded to the nearest $10. Starting asking rent percentiles and the $1,300 share come from the listing snapshot described in its table note.

Budget assumptions. The illustrative partial budget adds the median one-bedroom rent, a $135 electricity allowance, and $441 for groceries, and excludes water, sewer, trash, transit, a car, internet, phone, insurance, parking, pet rent, and other recurring fees. The electricity allowance is the median monthly price at 1,000 kWh ($134, rounded to $135) of 235 fixed-rate plans of six months or more listed on Power to Choose for Oncor customers on November 5, 2026, excluding prepaid, time-of-use, variable-rate, and minimum-usage plans; the middle half priced $126 to $145. Plan prices use each plan's Electricity Facts Label average price per kWh, before taxes, and include Oncor delivery of $4.06 a month plus 6.8673 cents per kWh (about $73 at 1,000 kWh), effective October 4, 2026 on a temporary basis. The 1,000 kWh level is a scenario, not typical or seasonal consumption. Groceries use the September 2026 USDA Moderate-Cost plan for one adult, averaging the adult female and male figures and applying the 20% single-person adjustment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dallas Rent and Cost of Living

What Is the Average Rent in Dallas?

Apartment List reports median rent, not a simple average. The one-bedroom median is $1,207 and the two-bedroom median is $1,428, for an all-sizes median of $1,321 as of October 2026. The two sizes are $221 apart.

What Is the Average Rent for a 2 Bedroom Apartment in Dallas, TX?

According to the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Dallas is $1,428. This is the citywide median and reflects October 2026 rent estimates.

What Is the Average Rent for a 1 Bedroom Apartment in Dallas, TX?

According to the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Dallas is $1,207. This is the citywide median and reflects October 2026 rent estimates.

Is $1,300 a Fair Rent for a 1 Bedroom in Dallas, TX?

$1,300 falls within the range of advertised one-bedroom starting rents in this sample, slightly above its median. As of October 26, 2026, 55% of Dallas listings on Apartment List with one-bedroom availability have starting asking rents of $1,300 or less, and the sample median is $1,245. According to the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index, the citywide median one-bedroom rent is $1,207, a different measure that covers the whole market.

Is Dallas Affordable for Renters?

It depends on your income and the size you need. At the rent-only 30% benchmark, a $1,207 one-bedroom needs about $48,280 in annual gross income. A $1,428 two-bedroom needs about $57,120. These are budgeting estimates; each property sets its own income and screening requirements, and the figures leave out utilities and other costs. Dallas's all-sizes median sits below the national median as of October 2026, about 5% lower.

Is 30% of Income a Hard Limit for Rent?

No. It is a planning benchmark. Use it to see what a given rent leaves for utilities, transit, and other costs, then decide what fits.

What Salary Do You Need to Rent in Dallas?

Using the $1,207 median one-bedroom rent from Apartment List's November 2026 report, a rent-only budget of 30% of gross income needs about $48,280 a year. These are budgeting estimates; each property sets its own income and screening requirements.

How Much Are Utilities in Dallas?

It depends on the building and the electricity plan you choose, since Dallas is deregulated. At 1,000 kWh, an illustrative electric bill is about $135 before taxes. The middle half of fixed-rate plans priced $126 to $145 in November 2026. Water, sewer, and trash may be included in rent or billed separately, so confirm the monthly charge.

How Do Solo and Shared Dallas Budgets Compare?

Using the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index medians, a two-bedroom costs about $714 per renter when two people split the rent equally. A one-bedroom on your own costs $1,207, about $490 more a month before utilities and fees. In the illustrative partial budget, each roommate's total is about $1,220 against about $1,780 for a solo renter.

Fort Worth vs Dallas Apartments: Which Is Cheaper to Rent Right Now?

It depends on the size. On the all-sizes median, Dallas ($1,321) sits $16 below Fort Worth ($1,337) in Apartment List's November 2026 report. Fort Worth is cheaper for both specific sizes: $66 less for a one-bedroom and $111 less for a two-bedroom. The all-sizes figure blends every apartment type, so compare the size you need and weigh the commute before treating either city as the cheaper option.