Denton, TX Relocation Guide (2026)
Cost of living, housing, and income data for Denton, sourced from the US Census Bureau.
Salary needed to live in Denton →
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2022). Last updated July 2026.
With a population near 142,262, Denton, Texas sits roughly in line with the multi-city income median: households earn a typical $71,921 per year (+0% vs. that benchmark).
Home values in Denton run a median $296,100, roughly in line with the benchmark across cities in our dataset (-9%). Renters see a median monthly cost of $1,264. Mortgage rates and property taxes are worth checking before you commit either way.
Home values run about 4.1× median income in Denton, putting it squarely in the balanced range among the cities we cover. The market has cooled around Denton: home prices are down about 0.88% compared with a year ago. FEMA classifies Denton's hazard risk as Relatively High. That elevated rating is a major driver of home insurance premiums in the area.
Personal Affordability Check
Renting at $1,264/mo in Denton would take 21.1% of your income.
$534/mo under the 30% guideline.
Buying the median home ($296,100) would take 26.4% of your income toward principal & interest.
$97/mo under the 28% guideline.
Cost of housing in Denton
Median home value is $296,100 and median gross rent is $1,264/month. For buyers, monthly costs depend heavily on current mortgage rates — worth checking before you commit.
FHFA's county-level home price index for Denton fell 0.88% over the past year (as of 2025).
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit in the surrounding county is $1,931/month.
Climate & home insurance
FEMA rates Denton's overall natural-hazard risk as Relatively High. Risk level is a major driver of home insurance premiums.
Safety
Denton reported a violent crime rate of 205.3 per 100,000 residents in 2025, per FBI data.
Moving to Denton
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in Denton, TX?
- For a quick read on Denton: homes carry a median value of $296,100, rent runs a median $1,264 monthly, and household income is a median $71,921, all from the US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2022).
- How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Denton?
- Comfortably affording rent in Denton — where the median runs $1,264/month — typically means earning about $50,560 a year, per the standard 30%-of-income benchmark. See the full salary breakdown (renting and buying) for Denton.
- Is it better to rent or buy in Denton?
- Denton's median rent of $1,264/month translates to about $50,560 a year needed to rent comfortably, versus roughly $67,746 a year for principal and interest on the $296,100 median home (20% down, 30-year fixed, today's rates). How long you'll stay is usually the deciding factor.
- Is Denton safe?
- In 2025, Denton reported 205.3 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, according to FBI data.
See the full salary breakdown for Denton →
Cities with a similar cost of living
Matched on median rent and household income within 15% of Denton's.