Moving to DFW
Jobs, hospitals, property tax and day-to-day costs: the numbers I'd want before moving here.
Book a call with VJA 15–20 minute Zoom call with me, no obligation.
Census Vintage 2025; Collin and Dallas County tax offices, 2026; Texas HHSC, Oct 2026; EIA, NWS. All sources.
My DFW story in 60 seconds.
Hi, I'm VJ. I moved here too. Here's the short version of my move, and why this guide exists.
Moved from California
In 2022. I'd said no to Texas for years because of the heat.
Bought in Viridian (Arlington)
For the space and the amenities. I'd still pick it.
Learned about the almost 3% property tax after closing
Nobody walked me through that number before I bought.
Here's what I wish I'd known before moving
Jobs, hospitals, property tax and day-to-day costs, each with its source.
I love helping people find a home they'll love, in a community they'll love, at a price and terms that work for them.
The north leans on tech. The rest of DFW doesn't.
About 8.5 million people, the 4th-largest U.S. metro. Where they work isn't spread evenly.
Northeast residents in computer and math jobs
Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Richardson and nearby. Everywhere else in DFW: 2–6%.
Healthcare, in every part of DFW
About 7–8% of working residents in every zone work in healthcare jobs.
Logistics in the southeast and northwest
Transportation, warehousing and wholesale are the biggest job sector located there.
When one industry dominates, local jobs ride on it: in 2001–02, Richardson's Telecom Corridor shed an estimated 10,000–15,000 of its 80,000 tech jobs. I'd check how many employers in your field are within a reasonable drive, not just the biggest one.
Residents' jobs: Census ACS 2020–24 (C24010, C24030). Jobs located: Census LEHD LODES 2024. Zones are our grouping of cities. Telecom Corridor: Dallas Fed, 2002. Population: Census Vintage 2025. All sources.
43 major hospitals. Every part of DFW has them.
major hospitals, including the Dallas and Garland VA medical centers.
Level I or Level II trauma centers across the 9 core counties.
medical districts: Dallas (Parkland, UT Southwestern, Children's) and Fort Worth (JPS, Cook Children's and three more).
Pick the workplace first, then the neighborhood that makes the drive easy. Your hospital doesn't lock you into one side of DFW; the commute is what you'll feel every day.
"Major" is our definition: Texas HHSC-licensed general hospitals with 150+ licensed beds, plus every children's hospital, Level I/II trauma center and academic medical center (41), plus the Dallas and Garland VA medical centers. Trauma: Texas DSHS, Oct 2026. Districts: our 2.5 km clusters, not official lines. All sources.
Property tax: the real number.
No state income tax, so property tax carries more of the load. In the places in this guide it runs from about 1.4% to almost 3%, and the exact address decides it.
I only found out after I bought.
2.77% in tax rates (including a municipal management district, MMD) plus a separate yearly PID assessment: about 2.9% of value before exemptions. I'd still pick Viridian. But nobody walked me through that number before I bought.
Viridian, Arlington: the community I live in.
2026 rates, no MUD or PID, before exemptions. A $600,000 home: about $8,400 a year at 1.40%, $13,500 at 2.25%. Outside city limits: no city tax, and no city services.
Homestead exemption
$140,000 off your home's taxable value for school taxes, once you own it and live in it as your main home.
What I'd check: It isn't automatic: apply to the county appraisal district. It doesn't apply to city or county taxes.
10% cap
From your second year with the exemption, the appraised value can't rise more than 10% a year.
What I'd check: It caps the value, not the bill. Rates can still go up, and it ends when you sell.
MUD / MMD
A special-district tax rate on top of the regular one, common in newer communities.
What I'd check: Usually no homestead exemption on it.
PID
A fixed yearly assessment per lot that repays the community's roads and utilities.
What I'd check: No exemption reduces it. About 84% of homes and lots in Celina's larger communities pay a PID or a MUD/MMD tax rate.
Before you tour a home, get its total tax rate and any PID or MUD for that exact address. The monthly number you plan around should be the real one.
Rates: 2026 adopted, no MUD or PID (Collin and Dallas County tax offices); outside city limits includes Collin County ESD #1. Exemption and cap: Tax Code §11.13, §23.23. Celina: Collin side, communities with 40+ parcels, 2026. My home: my 2026 tax statement. All sources.
Want the real monthly cost of a specific home?
Send me the address. We'll go through its tax rate, any districts and insurance on a 15–20 minute Zoom call, no obligation.
Book a call with VJDay-to-day costs in DFW.
Electric (summer)
Average Texas bill, August 2025. Power is 15.4¢ per kWh, about 11% under the U.S. average, but DFW averages 20 days a year at 100°F or hotter.
What I'd check: last summer's bills for that house. A large house runs higher.
Gas
Texas regular, week of Oct 26, 2026. California was $5.89 that week; the U.S. average, $4.27.
What I'd check: miles to work and back, times 21 workdays.
Groceries
DFW-area households spent $5,353 a year on food at home (2023–24 average).
What I'd check: where the nearest H-E-B or grocery store is from the home you like.
Commute & tolls
South Celina to Legacy West in Plano: $2.87 each way with a TollTag. A toll-free route exists.
What I'd check: whether the toll saves enough time on your commute to be worth it.
HOA (where it applies)
Range across four master-planned communities with published dues. PID and MUD charges are separate.
What I'd check: the dues for the exact section and lot size, not the community's lowest.
Check the deductible
It can be a percentage of your coverage, not dollars. The state's example: 5% of $150,000 is $7,500, so a $6,500 hail-damaged roof gets nothing.
What I'd check: every deductible, in dollars, before you bind the policy.
H-E-B, the Texas grocery chain. Groceries are one of the costs I'd plan around.
Electric: EIA Electric Power Annual 2025 and EIA-861M (statewide). Heat: NWS Fort Worth, 1991–2020. Gas: EIA weekly retail. Groceries: BLS Consumer Expenditures, Dallas-Fort Worth, 2023–24 (monthly = yearly ÷ 12). Tolls: NTTA rates from July 1, 2025, 21 workdays. HOA: builder and developer pages. Deductible: Texas Dept. of Insurance. All sources.
Neighborhoods at a glance.
Northeast
- Jobs
- 11% of working residents in computer and math jobs; about 658,000 jobs located here; the biggest sector is professional and technical services (about 14%).
- Homes
- Resale supply, 12-mo avg: Plano 3.2, Richardson 3.3, McKinney 4.2, Frisco 4.8, Prosper 6.6, Celina 8.9 months.
- Hospitals
- 10 of the 43 major hospitals.
Core
- Jobs
- 1.65M jobs located here, the most of any zone; 5.7% of residents in computer and math jobs.
- Homes
- Resale supply: Grapevine 2.1, Bedford 2.3, Coppell 2.7, Carrollton 3.2, Arlington 3.3, Irving 4.3 months.
- Hospitals
- 15 of the 43, including the Dallas medical district.
Northwest
- Jobs
- About 273,000 jobs located here; logistics is the biggest sector (about 15%); 5.0% of residents in computer and math jobs.
- Homes
- Resale supply: Flower Mound 2.8, Lewisville 3.4, Denton 4.3 months.
- Hospitals
- 5 of the 43.
Southwest
- Jobs
- About 255,000 jobs located here; healthcare is the biggest sector (about 24%).
- Homes
- Resale supply: Burleson 3.6, Mansfield 3.8 months.
- Hospitals
- 8 of the 43, including the Fort Worth medical district.
Southeast
- Jobs
- About 253,000 jobs located here; logistics is the biggest sector (about 20%).
- Homes
- Resale supply: Mesquite 4.5, Midlothian 4.8, Forney 7.7 months.
- Hospitals
- 5 of the 43.
More months of supply usually means more room to negotiate. I'd match the zone to your commute first, then look at supply.
Zones: our grouping of cities. Jobs: Census ACS 2020–24, LODES 2024. Hospitals: the 43 above, by zone. Supply: NTREIS, Nov 2025–Oct 2026, resale only, aggregates. All sources.
Not sure which part fits? Tell me where you'd work and what you want room for, and I'll tell you which areas fit, and which don't.
— through my lens.
I take my camera around DFW to show people what it actually looks like here. Below are a few of those days.
What life here looks like, day to day.
A few ordinary days here. Every photo here is mine, some from my phone, some from my Fujifilm.
My 3 tips before you move.
My drive, Southlake to Fort Worth.
Pick the workplace first. Then drive it at rush hour.
The drive matters more than the job's address. Try the commute on a Tuesday morning, not a Sunday afternoon.
Know your total monthly cost (price, tax, HOA, tolls, electric).
People price the house, not the bills that come with it. I made that mistake myself: the tax rate was the one I missed.
You don't need to predict the market.
I get it. Rates, recession headlines, crash talk. Nobody wants to get the timing wrong.
In October 2026 the median home sold through North Texas's MLS went for $350K, about 3% less than a year earlier, at about 95% of its original asking price.
Where prices, rates or the economy go next. If rates drop, more buyers can come back and compete, but higher prices aren't guaranteed.
Show you actual comparable sales, where there's room to negotiate, and what a home costs at today's terms.
If not, waiting might be the right call. And that's okay too.
Moving to DFW: quick answers.
Moving to Dallas from California: what changes?
I made that move in 2022. Texas has no state income tax, so property tax carries more of the load: about 1.4% to almost 3% in the places in this guide, depending on the exact address. Some costs run lower: Texas regular gas was $3.63 a gallon the week of Oct 26, 2026, when California was $5.89. And DFW averages 20 days a year at 100°F or hotter.
What is the property tax rate in DFW?
Across the DFW places in this guide it runs from about 1.4% to almost 3%, and the exact address decides it. 2026 rates with no MUD or PID, before exemptions: 1.40% outside city limits in Collin County, 1.68% in Frisco (Collin side) and 2.25% in the City of Dallas. On a $600,000 home that's about $8,400 a year at 1.40% and $13,500 at 2.25%. Special districts add to it: my own home in Viridian, Arlington, runs almost 3%.
How does the Texas homestead exemption work?
It takes $140,000 off your home's taxable value for school taxes, once you own it and live in it as your main home. It isn't automatic: you apply to the county appraisal district, and it doesn't apply to city or county taxes. From your second year with the exemption, the appraised value can't rise more than 10% a year. That caps the value, not the bill.
Where are the major hospitals in DFW?
Every part of DFW has them: 43 major hospitals, including the Dallas and Garland VA medical centers, and 15 Level I or Level II trauma centers across the 9 core counties. The two medical districts are Dallas (Parkland, UT Southwestern, Children's) and Fort Worth (JPS, Cook Children's and three more). "Major" here means Texas HHSC-licensed general hospitals with 150+ licensed beds, plus every children's hospital, Level I/II trauma center and academic medical center, plus the Dallas and Garland VA medical centers.
How much is the electric bill in a DFW summer?
The average Texas bill in August 2025 was $232 a month. Power is 15.4¢ per kWh, about 11% under the U.S. average, but DFW averages 20 days a year at 100°F or hotter. A large house runs higher, so ask for last summer's bills for the house you like.
How do I choose where to live in DFW?
Pick the workplace first, then drive it at rush hour: try the commute on a Tuesday morning, not a Sunday afternoon. Then know your total monthly cost (price, tax, HOA, tolls, electric), because people price the house, not the bills that come with it. Match the zone to your commute first, then look at supply: more months of supply usually means more room to negotiate.
Keep an eye on DFW, from wherever you are.
No rush on the move. I post what I see around DFW: communities, new homes and the numbers behind them. Follow along and you'll know the area before you fly in.
Let's talk about your move.
A 15–20 minute Zoom call with me, no obligation. We'd cover:
- Where your work is, and which commutes are realistic.
- The real monthly cost of a specific home: tax rate, districts, insurance.
- Which parts of DFW fit what you want, and which don't.
Every number has a source.
How DFW makes its living, and the areas
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24 5-year, tables C24010 (occupation) and C24030 (industry). Residents, by where they live.
- U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD LODES 8, Texas workplace file, 2024. Jobs by where they are located. "Logistics" = transportation, warehousing and wholesale.
- Zones: our grouping of cities (Nov 2026); Dallas split at I-30 and Fort Worth by ZIP.
- Telecom Corridor: Metroplex Technology Business Council estimate, via the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 2002.
- Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 metro estimates (July 1, 2025).
Where the hospitals are
- Texas HHSC Directory of General and Special Hospitals (Oct 2026); CMS Provider of Services file; VA North Texas Health Care System locations (va.gov).
- Texas DSHS trauma facility designations, as of Oct 28, 2026.
- "Major" is our definition: HHSC general hospitals with 150+ licensed beds, plus every children's hospital, Level I/II trauma center and academic medical center (41), plus the Dallas and Garland VA medical centers. FMC Carswell (a federal prison medical center) is not counted. Hospitals by zone: our count from the same list.
- Map: Census TIGER/Line 2024; addresses geocoded with the Census Geocoder.
Property tax
- Dallas County Tax Office, 2026 tax rates; Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector, 2026 Tax Rates and Exemptions by Jurisdictions. Rates per $100 of value, before exemptions, with no MUD or PID. Frisco: Collin County + Collin College + Frisco + Frisco ISD. Outside city limits: Collin County + Collin College + McKinney ISD + Collin County ESD #1 (fire and ambulance, 10¢).
- Texas Comptroller: residence homestead exemption (Tax Code §11.13) and the 10% cap (§23.23).
- Celina: Collin Central Appraisal District 2026 data (data.texas.gov) and City of Celina PID plans; Collin County side, communities with 40+ parcels.
- My home: my own 2026 Tarrant County tax statement.
Day-to-day costs
- U.S. EIA: Electric Power Annual 2025 (Table 2.10) and Form EIA-861M (average bill = revenue ÷ customers, statewide).
- National Weather Service Fort Worth/Dallas: DFW 100° day summary, 1991–2020 normal.
- U.S. EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, regular grade, week of Oct 26, 2026.
- U.S. BLS, Consumer Expenditures for the Dallas-Fort Worth Area: 2023–24 (released Jan 5, 2026).
- NTTA Dallas North Tollway rates, effective July 1, 2025; monthly = 21 workdays.
- HOA dues: David Weekley Homes (Painted Tree, Elements at Viridian, 2026), M/I Homes (Light Farms, 2023), Windsong Ranch developer FAQ (2019).
- Texas Department of Insurance, "What to know about deductibles".
Homes for sale
- NTREIS Trends (ShowingTime Plus), Residential, resale only; 12-month averages, Nov 2025–Oct 2026; pulled Nov 9–10, 2026.
- Tip 3: NTREIS Trends (ShowingTime Plus), Entire MLS (all of North Texas, not only DFW), Residential: median sales price and median percent of original list price, October 2026 vs. October 2025; pulled Nov 9, 2026.
Personal
- My story, my home and the photos are my own. The images of me at the top and in the "Let's talk" section: AI-generated from my likeness, approved by me.
- Figures were current when this guide was made; they change. General information, not tax, legal or insurance advice.