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Cost of Living in Fort Worth, Texas

Rent, everyday costs and taxes in Fort Worth, what each job keeps after paying them, and how the city compares with the rest of the US.

Population
1,028,117
Median household income
$82,503
Cost of living (US = 100)
103.1
Unemployment rate
4.5%

Is Fort Worth a good place to live?

Fort Worth sits in the middle for take-home money: a typical worker keeps more here than in 84 of 178 other large cities, so whether it pays off depends on your job.

A typical worker in Fort Worth keeps $6,971 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs. Try your job

  • Cost of living3% above the US average (BEA, 2024)
  • Rent$1,549 a month for a 1-bedroom (HUD)
  • TaxesNo state income tax on wages

Cost of living in Fort Worth

Prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area run 3% above the US average. Housing is the biggest difference, at 18% above the US average.

  • Housing18% above the US average
  • Goods (food, clothing, cars)3% above the US average
  • Utilities9% below the US average
  • Other services (healthcare and more)About the same as the US average
  • All items3% above the US average

Monthly budget for one person

CostMonthlyYearly
Rent, 1-bedroom$1,549$18,588
Food$508$6,096
Transportation$401$4,812
Healthcare$351$4,212
Utilities$236$2,832
Total before taxes$3,045$36,540

Rent by apartment size

Monthly rentFort WorthWhole metro area
Studio$1,529$1,461
1 bedroom$1,549$1,481
2 bedrooms$1,826$1,745
3 bedrooms$2,389$2,284
4 bedrooms$2,998$2,866

Living in Fort Worth

How Fort Worth compares with the US on income, housing, work and commuting (Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year).

MeasureFort WorthUS
Median household income$82,503$81,604
Median home value$330,500$360,600
Median rent paid$1,630$1,487
Households renting41.9%34.7%
Unemployment rate4.5%4.6%
Living below the poverty line13.1%12.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher33.5%36.9%
Median age33.6 years39.2 years
Average commute, one way28 minutes27.2 minutes
Working from home10.5%13.3%
Commuting by public transit0.7%3.7%

Home internet

5 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Fort Worth, led by Spectrum, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile. Fiber reaches 75.2% of homes and 95.3% can get gigabit speeds. Compare providers in Fort Worth

Pros and cons of living in Fort Worth

Pros

  • No state income tax. Texas doesn't tax wages, so more of each paycheck stays with you.
  • Fast home internet. 95.3% of homes can get gigabit speeds (FCC).

Cons

  • Higher cost of living. Prices are 3% above the US average (BEA, 2024).

What your job keeps in Fort Worth

Pick a job, or enter your salary, to see what's left after federal, payroll, state and local taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.

Typical worker in Fort Worth, TX
Typical salary
$51,440
Federal income tax
−$3,993
Payroll taxes
−$3,935
State income tax
$0
Rent, 1-bedroom
−$18,588
Everyday costs
−$17,953
You keep$6,971

a year, or $581 a month

Pay: BLS OEWS Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Rent: HUD FY2027. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local schedules for a single filer.

From $51,440 gross, deductions leave $6,971 a year.
Salary$51,440Federal income tax−$3,993Payroll taxes−$3,935State income tax$0Rent, 1-bedroom−$18,588Everyday costs−$17,953You keep$6,971

What the most common jobs keep here

The 10 jobs we cover with the most workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area.

JobMedian payYou keep
Software engineer$133,290$65,828
Registered nurse$101,420$43,638
Project manager$98,900$41,865
Accountant$82,620$30,413
Teacher$65,534$18,296
Truck driver$59,530$13,471
Electrician$59,010$13,054
Auto mechanic$49,720$5,589
Medical assistant$43,100$270
Nursing assistant$38,530−$3,403

Other jobs, A–Z

What each keeps in Fort Worth on its median pay. Pick one in the calculator above for the full breakdown.

  • Carpenter $4,801
  • Civil engineer $40,473
  • Data scientist $62,042
  • Dental assistant $3,862
  • Dental hygienist $43,955
  • Dentist $97,748
  • Diesel mechanic $14,162
  • Financial analyst $42,885
  • Firefighter $17,786
  • HVAC technician $13,496
  • Lawyer $89,902
  • Licensed practical nurse $17,361
  • Lineman $27,099
  • Mechanical engineer $46,452
  • Nurse practitioner $64,250
  • Occupational therapist $46,938
  • Paralegal $16,437
  • Paramedic $14,090
  • Pharmacist $69,164
  • Pharmacy technician $2,809
  • Physical therapist $48,112
  • Physician assistant $66,929
  • Plumber $14,853
  • Police officer $37,651
  • Radiologic technologist $30,778
  • Respiratory therapist $31,439
  • Social worker $13,401
  • Speech-language pathologist $42,315
  • Veterinarian $66,006
  • Welder $7,123

Compare Fort Worth with other cities

Compare Fort Worth with another city: any city or state, any of our 40 jobs.

Moving to Fort Worth

23 licensed interstate movers are based in Fort Worth, and 127 more elsewhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area (FMCSA, household-goods authority).

Questions people ask

Is Fort Worth, TX a good place to live?

Fort Worth sits in the middle for take-home money: a typical worker keeps more here than in 84 of 178 other large cities, so whether it pays off depends on your job. The typical worker here earns $51,440 and keeps $6,971 a year after federal, payroll and state taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.

What is the cost of living in Fort Worth?

Prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area are 3% above the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). A 1-bedroom rents for $1,549 a month (HUD fair market rent, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person, covering food, transportation, healthcare and utilities, come to about $1,496 a month.

How much do you need to earn to live in Fort Worth?

A single person renting a 1-bedroom alone needs about $42,800 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs, with nothing left over. The typical worker in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX area earns $51,440.

What is the average rent in Fort Worth?

HUD's fair market rent for FY2027 is $1,529 for a studio, $1,549 for a 1-bedroom and $1,826 for a 2-bedroom. The Census Bureau puts the median rent paid in Fort Worth at $1,630 a month (2024).

Does Fort Worth have a state or city income tax?

Texas has no state income tax on wages. Fort Worth has no local income tax on wages.

What internet providers serve Fort Worth?

5 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Fort Worth, led by Spectrum, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile. 75.2% of homes can get fiber and 95.3% can get gigabit speeds (FCC National Broadband Map).

Sources and method

Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.

Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate