Thinking of moving to Dallas? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled a comprehensive moving guide full of tips from cost of living to nightlife.

Section One: Cost of living in Dallas

Rent Prices

For most, housing makes up the majority of the cost of living in a city. As of our most recent Zumper National Rent Report, Dallas was the 20th most expensive rental market in the country, with a median one-bedroom rent of $1,340 and a median two-bedroom rent of $1,800. It’s worth noting that these are median prices, meaning that half of all available inventory will fall below this level. Rents also vary widely depending on which specific neighborhood you’re searching in, so don’t worry if these numbers sound high.

Here’s a snippet of our latest Dallas rent price map to give you an idea:

Food and Utilities

According to a report by SmartAsset, a typical utility bill (including electricity, heating, and water) in Dallas will cost you around $140 per month. For internet, expect to pay around $45 extra per month. These figures are both between 6-10% below the national average.

Expect to pay $11-12 per person for a casual meal in Dallas, and upwards of $45 for a nicer meal for two (not including drinks). For groceries, Numbeo.com quotes a minimum cost per person of $320 per month. This assumes basic necessities and not organic groceries or high end ingredients, for instance.

Taxes

Residents of Dallas pay an 8.25% sales tax, but since Texas has no state income tax, you won’t find yourself owing any money to the state when April rolls around.

Section Two: Moving to Dallas

Moving to Dallas doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. Before starting your search, make sure you’ve thought through the following:

–  Must-haves and what you’d be willing to compromise on. You may need to give up certain amenities to live in your favorite neighborhood, or otherwise look for a smaller layout or a different apartment type.

– Your search horizon. The ideal time to start searching is between 1-2 months before your planned move-in date. However, don’t be stressed if you only have a couple weeks to go; a surprising amount of rental inventory is usually available for immediate move-in.

– Your favorite neighborhoods. We’ve put together a curated list below of some of the more popular areas to get you started on where to live – whether you’re moving by yourself or with a family, looking for a residential area or one in the middle of the action.

– Documents you’ll need when applying for an apartment. These will vary depending on the landlord, but most require verification of work, a credit report, and references from previous landlords.

– Whether you’d like to live alone or with roommates. Roommates can mean considerable cost savings, upwards of 50-60% depending on the amount of people.

Neighborhoods

Dallas is made up of hundreds of different neighborhoods. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the most popular areas we’ve seen for renters.

– Uptown

Uptown is filled with young professionals and plentiful lofts for rent, whether you want the action right outside your door or a few blocks away. Tourists and locals alike love the McKinney Avenue Trolley that chauffeurs you all over the neighborhood. There’s also a large outdoor shopping mall, West Village, and a trendy bar and restaurant scene.

– Lakewood

A great neighborhood for families and young professionals alike, Lakewood features the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden as well as White Rock Lake, which is especially great for dog walking. This neighborhood is on the quieter side, and features a variety of locally owned bakeries, chain restaurants, and adorable boutiques.

– Lake Highlands

This neighborhood might be located right in the middle of the city, but that doesn’t stop it from feeling like a small town. Lake Highlands is a predominantly residential area with a tight-knit community, lots of kids, and some of the best pizza in the city (Atomic Pie).

– Downtown Dallas

The business district of Dallas, Downtown features art-deco style buildings and vibrant nightlife. You’ll live close to attractions like Reunion Tower, the flagship Neiman Marcus store, the Dallas World Aquarium, the Museum at Dealy Plaza (where JFK was assassinated), and the Dallas Museum of Art. Downtown residents can also enjoy local food truck fare at Klyde Warren Park or hit up the other restaurants on Main Street.

– Deep Ellum

Commonly known as the hipster neighborhood of Dallas, Deep Ellum is an artsy hood filled with music venues, bars, dance clubs, restaurants, and tattoo shops. Living here, you’ll always be able to find good food, good music, and good times.

– Victory Park

This neighborhood is a modern, edgy part of town that features great parks, restaurants, and bars. If you’re a sports fan, this might be the spot for you, as it’s home to both the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars (who both play at American Airlines Center).

– Cedars

Creative energy flows through this neighborhood that’s the popular spot among artists, architects, and musicians. A more affordable option than downtown, Cedars is also home to Dallas’s most famous honky tonk Gilleys.

– Greenway Park

Located in north Dallas, Greenway Park is a beautiful neighborhood known for its upscale homes. It’s close to the airport, so if you find yourself in the sky often, this might be the home for you.

Section Three: How to find an apartment in Dallas

There are a number of different ways to going about finding an apartment in Dallas.

1. Let an apartment locator search for you

Apartment locators are services that will essentially apartment hunt for you. Rather than searching online, locators will understand your budget and preferences to curate places according to your tastes. Locators are completely free for apartment hunters, as they are paid on the landlord side.

Zumper Select is a free apartment search concierge and apartment locator in Dallas. After providing your budget, preferences, and move-in date, a local agent will curate a list of apartments for you. Ultimately, agents care most about your well-being and will only offer places that fit your preferences. If there’s a match, the concierge will schedule your tours and make sure you get the best deal available.

2. Search yourself using online listing services

Options in Dallas include:

– Zumper: 1,500 active rental listings

– PadMapper: 3,100 active rental listings

– Craigslist Dallas: great for sublets and rooms

3. Walk around in neighborhoods you’re interested in

Landlords will post signs directly on apartments with contact information. Though a little time consuming, you can get a sense of the exact type of building and area an apartment is located in.

Section Four: Transportation

DART

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) provides bus and rail service throughout the entire city of Dallas and 12 surrounding cities. Between light rail, bus, and railway express, you can pretty much rely on DART to get anywhere you need to go. A monthly DART pass costs $80, and a two-hour ride pass costs $2.50.

Buses and trains operate every day from 5am-midnight, and schedules vary by neighborhood.

Having a car in Dallas

There is a fairly large population of car owners in Dallas. Whether it’s for commuting or just for the sake of convenience, there are many options for parking in The Big D. Many apartment complexes have parking options, which can change from $25-100 in additional fees per month, and city street parking is plentiful.

Ridesharing

In the absence of a car, ridesharing is a common mode of getting around. Uber and Lyft are the two biggest players in this space, with on-demand ride hailing directly from any smartphone.

Car sharing

If you don’t want to own a car, but still want the freedom of driving a vehicle, car sharing is a great option. Services like Zipcar offer the ability to rent cars on-demand by the hour or day.

Bike Share

Dallas is currently still trying to figure out how to best make bike-sharing work in the city, and because of that, there are about different options that currently exist. You’ll see the colorful fleets of bikes collected in various spots around the city and be able to ride between kiosks at an affordable rate.

Section Five: Additional Resources

Moving Companies

https://www.thumbtack.com/tx/dallas/movers/

www.movebuddha.com

https://www.yelp.com/c/dallas/movers

Things to do in Dallas

https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/dallas/things-to-do-in-dallas-bucket-list

https://www.guidelive.com/things-to-do

http://www.dallascowboys.com/team/season-schedule (Dallas Cowboys schedule)

https://www.mavs.com/schedule/full-schedule/ (Dallas Mavericks schedule)