Data Scientist Salary: Houston vs Dallas
Same job, two cities — but the paycheck that looks bigger isn’t always the one that goes further. We compare gross pay, take-home after tax, and cost-of-living-adjusted real salary.
THE VERDICT
It’s close. Dallas edges out Houston on real salary by just $1,489 in equivalent buying power — effectively a wash once tax and cost of living are factored in.
Houston, TXNo state tax
Real salary $112,097 equivalent
Entry (25th)$105,000
Median (50th)$145,000
Senior (75th)$184,000
Top (90th)$231,000
5% premium vs national median. Data Scientists in Houston earn approximately 5% higher than the US national median for this role — a $7,000 premium on annual base salary. This reflects Houston's position as a higher-cost labor market where employers must match local wage norms.
Cost-of-living adjusted picture. Adjusted for Houston's cost-of-living index (91), the median Data Scientist salary buys the equivalent of $159,341 in a US-average-cost city. That's $21,341 more purchasing power than the national median — a meaningful real-wage advantage.
HIGHER REAL PAY
Dallas, TXNo state tax
Real salary $113,586 equivalent
Entry (25th)$112,000
Median (50th)$155,000
Senior (75th)$196,000
Top (90th)$246,000
12% premium vs national median. Data Scientists in Dallas earn approximately 12% higher than the US national median for this role — a $17,000 premium on annual base salary. This reflects Dallas's position as a higher-cost labor market where employers must match local wage norms.
Cost-of-living adjusted picture. Adjusted for Dallas's cost-of-living index (96), the median Data Scientist salary buys the equivalent of $161,458 in a US-average-cost city. That's $23,458 more purchasing power than the national median — a meaningful real-wage advantage.
Head-to-head breakdown
| Metric | Houston | Dallas |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross salary | $145,000 | $155,000 ✓ |
| State income tax | None ✓ | None |
| Est. take-home pay | $102,008 | $109,043 ✓ |
| Cost-of-living index | 91 ✓ | 96 |
| Real salary (COL-adjusted take-home) | $112,097 | $113,586 ✓ |
Real salary = take-home pay (after federal tax, state tax, and FICA) adjusted for each city’s cost-of-living index, shown in US-average-cost dollars. Take-home uses a 22% federal + 7.65% FICA estimate plus state tax; your actual rate depends on filing status and deductions. Methodology · Updated Q3 2026.