Dallas vs. Tampa WADM Help

[wallacejonathank]

Hi Fastlaners!

I'm Jonathan, and I just finished The Millionaire Fastlane (first ever post)! I took a crack at MJD's WADM as I'm deciding to move to either Dallas or Tampa. I'm looking to get some feedback on my rankings when it comes to the cost of living and business climate, etc. I've only visited these cities very briefly, so I never got to fully explore them. I based these rankings on the stats from bestplaces.net. If anybody from Dallas or Tampa would be able to chime in, that would be much appreciated.

Quick background: 26 and single - I'm currently in Philadelphia (hometown).

Factors	DFW		Tampa/St. Pete Area
Weather (7)	6​	42​	8​	56​
Taxes (9)	8​	72​	8​	72​
Cost of Living (9)	6​	54​	7​	63​
Safety (7)	6​	42​	7​	49​
Entertainment (8)	7​	56​	8​	64​
Business Climate (3)	7​	21​	6​	18​
Traffic (6)	4​	24​	3​	18​
Total		311​		340​

 

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[RicardoGrande]

Hey Wallace,

You seem to want to move to metro areas in other states, why not move into rural pennsylvania or indiana?
CoL will much much lower along with traffic and it'll be very safe from what I've been told.

Also I can tell you from your experience that your Dallas grid isn't accurate. I would go to say that Dallas is now more expensive and less "safe" than tampa, and the traffic is absolutely nightmarish (3 or 4 of the most congested highways in the nation) and if you buy a house you'll be paying 8-12k+ in property taxes if you're in a high pop county.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Not sure I agree with the #'s of on your assessments ... how important is the beach?

 

[fastlane_dad]

Hi Fastlaners!

I'm Jonathan, and I just finished The Millionaire Fastlane (first ever post)! I took a crack at MJD's WADM as I'm deciding to move to either Dallas or Tampa. I'm looking to get some feedback on my rankings when it comes to the cost of living and business climate, etc. I've only visited these cities very briefly, so I never got to fully explore them. I based these rankings on the stats from bestplaces.net. If anybody from Dallas or Tampa would be able to chime in, that would be much appreciated.

Quick background: 26 and single - I'm currently in Philadelphia (hometown).

Factors	DFW		Tampa/St. Pete Area
Weather (7)	6​	42​	8​	56​
Taxes (9)	8​	72​	8​	72​
Cost of Living (9)	6​	54​	7​	63​
Safety (7)	6​	42​	7​	49​
Entertainment (8)	7​	56​	8​	64​
Business Climate (3)	7​	21​	6​	18​
Traffic (6)	4​	24​	3​	18​
Total		311​		340​

I've only spent a brief 2 nights in DALLAS, and have family in TAMPA (so spent quite a bit of time there) - and to me GUT FEELING is I'd take TAMPA any day of the week.

I haven't looked into business climate of either state fully, or some of the other categories on your list - but each time I have been in TAMPA I have a great time, enjoy clearwater beach and some other local communities tremendously, and know that the city has greatly grown over the last few years (again this could have a big effect on traffic).

Obviously it all depends on the lifestyle you are trying to pursue, what kind of travel you do (there aren't many places to go closely from TAMPA that aren't florida by car), if you enjoy water/the beach at all and just generally what your personality is.

I've never fully seen ANY appeal to DALLAS - and would like to hear from those that live there on what those are.

What is it about those 2 cities attracting you specifically, and why are you ruling out everywhere else?

 

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[Train]

Factors	DFW
Weather (7)	7
Taxes (9)	7
Cost of Living (9)	7
Safety (7)	7
Entertainment (8)	5
Business Climate (3)	N/A
Traffic (6)	6

Background on the numbers I chose:

1. Weather can be really hot (100 F) in summers but not humid. Not too rainy, decent sunshine most of year. Winters get low to 30s-50s and ice can be hazardous on roads.
2. Renter in suburbs but property tax is huge deterrent to buying. Also home prices have really soared in DFW since pandemic. I'm priced out of areas I wasn't before then. No income tax is sweet but could be overall tax burdens aren't as good.
3. Gas is cheap compared to where I am temporarily in South Florida. Housing is getting expensive but ok for now. Rent shot up 16 percent but I negotiated down to 8 percent raise. Groceries are decently priced.
4. I live in a pretty safe neighborhood, "luxury" but there can be sketchy neighborhoods and areas. I steer clear of those and usually no problems at all.
5. Imo there's not a ton to do like you'd have in a city like LA or NYC. I used to compare to Miami but even Miami is boring if you take away the beach and party scene. Of course there's museums, all that cookie cutter stuff but I don't find it's all that entertaining. Also, you NEED a car to do anything because everything is spread out usually.
6. Can't speak for business climate as an entrepreneur since I work at a company but there are big names/companies in the DFW metroplex.
7. I stay usually in the suburbs and don't drive in/out of the city so traffic is usually fine. BUT people can drive like total animals. I was shocked that they can drive as recklessly as in Miami. Can feel like you're in Fast and Furious sometimes.

Hopefully this helps some.

 

[Goodfella999]

The surrounding areas north of Dallas, Southlake, Plano, Grapevine, Frisco are all really nice. Im thinking of moving there from the Fort Lauderdale area because its becoming so congested and expensive here with no more land to build on.

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

The surrounding areas north of Dallas, Southlake, Plano, Grapevine, Frisco are all really nice. Im thinking of moving there from the Fort Lauderdale area because its becoming so congested and expensive here with no more land to build on.

Southlake is really nice. Fancy schmancy. Depends if that’s your crowd though.

 

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[RicardoGrande]

The surrounding areas north of Dallas, Southlake, Plano, Grapevine, Frisco are all really nice. Im thinking of moving there from the Fort Lauderdale area because its becoming so congested and expensive here with no more land to build on.

We appreciate your interest in Texas, however if you think moving TO Dallas or the mentioned cities will result in a reduction of congestion or expenses, you may wish to re-evalulate and more deeply research the amount of californians flooding into dallas/denton/collin counties. That's making no mention of the biggest expense, property taxes.

 

[Goodfella999]

We appreciate your interest in Texas, however if you think moving TO Dallas or the mentioned cities will result in a reduction of congestion or expenses, you may wish to re-evalulate and more deeply research the amount of californians flooding into dallas/denton/collin counties. That's making no mention of the biggest expense, property taxes.

I was there checking it out in jan 2021. Locals cant stand the Californians. Traffic seemed much better than south FL at least in the suburbs there. I know the taxes are higher but its still much more house for the money than FTL/Miami

 

[wallacejonathank]

Hey Wallace,

You seem to want to move to metro areas in other states, why not move into rural pennsylvania or indiana?
CoL will much much lower along with traffic and it'll be very safe from what I've been told.

Also I can tell you from your experience that your Dallas grid isn't accurate. I would go to say that Dallas is now more expensive and less "safe" than tampa, and the traffic is absolutely nightmarish (3 or 4 of the most congested highways in the nation) and if you buy a house you'll be paying 8-12k+ in property taxes if you're in a high pop county.

I actually went to school in rural PA. For me, I'm sick of the snow/cold winters - I'd like a change of scenery since I've lived in PA my whole life. Thanks for the tips on Dallas - I'd be looking to rent a studio apartment.

 

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[wallacejonathank]

Not sure I agree with the #'s of on your assessments ... how important is the beach?

Got it, the beach is important to me which is tipping the scale to Tampa.

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

There's cigar lounges every 10 feet in Tampa.

So, you know my vote

 

[wallacejonathank]

I've only spent a brief 2 nights in DALLAS, and have family in TAMPA (so spent quite a bit of time there) - and to me GUT FEELING is I'd take TAMPA any day of the week.

I haven't looked into business climate of either state fully, or some of the other categories on your list - but each time I have been in TAMPA I have a great time, enjoy clearwater beach and some other local communities tremendously, and know that the city has greatly grown over the last few years (again this could have a big effect on traffic).

Obviously it all depends on the lifestyle you are trying to pursue, what kind of travel you do (there aren't many places to go closely from TAMPA that aren't florida by car), if you enjoy water/the beach at all and just generally what your personality is.

I've never fully seen ANY appeal to DALLAS - and would like to hear from those that live there on what those are.

What is it about those 2 cities attracting you specifically, and why are you ruling out everywhere else?

Have you ever been to Wesley Chapel? I've heard that's a nice area of Tampa.

 

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[wallacejonathank]

Factors	DFW
Weather (7)	7
Taxes (9)	7
Cost of Living (9)	7
Safety (7)	7
Entertainment (8)	5
Business Climate (3)	N/A
Traffic (6)	6

Background on the numbers I chose:

1. Weather can be really hot (100 F) in summers but not humid. Not too rainy, decent sunshine most of year. Winters get low to 30s-50s and ice can be hazardous on roads.
2. Renter in suburbs but property tax is huge deterrent to buying. Also home prices have really soared in DFW since pandemic. I'm priced out of areas I wasn't before then. No income tax is sweet but could be overall tax burdens aren't as good.
3. Gas is cheap compared to where I am temporarily in South Florida. Housing is getting expensive but ok for now. Rent shot up 16 percent but I negotiated down to 8 percent raise. Groceries are decently priced.
4. I live in a pretty safe neighborhood, "luxury" but there can be sketchy neighborhoods and areas. I steer clear of those and usually no problems at all.
5. Imo there's not a ton to do like you'd have in a city like LA or NYC. I used to compare to Miami but even Miami is boring if you take away the beach and party scene. Of course there's museums, all that cookie cutter stuff but I don't find it's all that entertaining. Also, you NEED a car to do anything because everything is spread out usually.
6. Can't speak for business climate as an entrepreneur since I work at a company but there are big names/companies in the DFW metroplex.
7. I stay usually in the suburbs and don't drive in/out of the city so traffic is usually fine. BUT people can drive like total animals. I was shocked that they can drive as recklessly as in Miami. Can feel like you're in Fast and Furious sometimes.

Hopefully this helps some.

Thank you! This was helpful. How far were you from ATT Stadium? It would be cool to work for the Cowboys.

 

[wallacejonathank]

The surrounding areas north of Dallas, Southlake, Plano, Grapevine, Frisco are all really nice. Im thinking of moving there from the Fort Lauderdale area because its becoming so congested and expensive here with no more land to build on.

I've heard Frisco/Arlington is nice. I was interviewing for a sales job with the Miami Dolphins right before March 2020. They were going to pay me $13 an hour plus commission. I'm happy they turned me down because $13 an hour plus pulling teeth to sell Dolphins tickets would only get me an ice cream cone down there.

 

[Train]

Thank you! This was helpful. How far were you from ATT Stadium? It would be cool to work for the Cowboys.

I was about 30-50 minutes out from that stadium. It was a really nice stadium! I recommend the tour if you're ever in town. It's in Arlington.

 

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[wallacejonathank]

There's cigar lounges every 10 feet in Tampa.

So, you know my vote

I've never smoked a cigar before. Any suggestions on brands to try?

 

[wallacejonathank]

I was about 30-50 minutes out from that stadium. It was a really nice stadium! I recommend the tour if you're ever in town. It's in Arlington.

That's on my bucket list - I'll be sure to wear my Philadelphia Eagles gear while there. Another person from Dallas told me to stay out of Dallas County and look at Tarrant/Parker County.

 

[Train]

That's on my bucket list - I'll be sure to wear my Philadelphia Eagles gear while there. Another person from Dallas told me to stay out of Dallas County and look at Tarrant/Parker County.

Haha, have a cowboys shirt as a safety precaution.

Tarrant County is nice from what I've seen, just depends on the location/neighborhood because it can be hit or miss.

If you're into football, you may like the TCU area. Regular football games, tailgates, and the area is pleasant and warm. Also decent night life nearby (West 7th, Magnolia, Stockyards).

 

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