Texas is of course a no-income tax state, so for me I think that’s about a 9.5% raise? Actually I am not sure what the top tax rate is.

I think in the end property taxes will be the same, just a higher % in Texas, and if you salary stays virtually the same, then you are way ahead of the game.

Dallas used to have the “West End” and “Deep Ellum” areas. Deep Ellum was a bit more shady, and edgy. West End is probably pretty hopping right now because they built that Mavericks arena and with their success, a lot of folks are trickling into the west end. I could swear reading somewhere about a year ago that Deep Ellum was having trouble attracting businesses and dealing with crime issues, but I can’t say for sure.

The reason I’d pick Dallas first, Austin second is because when you tire of the road, you can land on your feet in the DFW area. Austin is also not too bad in this regard, as there are many software jobs there. San Antonio, not so hot for tech. Cool place, the riverwalk is fun. Austin had great BBQ. Actually that’s one thing I miss about Texas was BBQ, however luckily I found Tri-Tip from Seaside market in Cardiff that made me forget all about Texas BBQ.