Carrie Bradshaw Would be SOL Trying to Find an Affordable Apartment in Dallas

It wouldn’t be too difficult to find an apartment in Dallas with a closet large enough to store $40,000 worth of Manaloh Blaniks, but you may first have to sell said shoe collection to afford the place. 

The Economist has published its third annual “Carrie Bradshaw Index,” an assessment that evaluates American cities based on whether a person making the area’s median income can afford a studio apartment without spending more than a third of their earnings each month. The index is named after the lead character from Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw, whose rent-stabilized, roommate-free, charmingly cluttered New York City studio apartment remains the envy and aspiration of every young woman navigating the modern world.  

For the first time since The Economist began publishing the index, Dallas — along with several other Texas cities such as Houston and Austin — has veered into unaffordable territory. Plano is also unaffordable for any average earner hoping to live alone. 

If you hope to rent a studio apartment in Dallas without spending more than one-third of your salary each month, you’d need to bring in $54,400 annually. The median wage across Big D, though, is only $49,740, meaning many Dallasites looking for a new solo spot are either spending more than is recommended on their rent or will have to give in and get some roommates. Don’t you hate when your Sex and the City dream turns into a New Girl reality? 

If Cowboy Carrie vibes are something you’re cool with, Fort Worth is barely hanging on to affordable territory, with the wage needed to responsibly live in the average studio apartment coming in just $140 less than what the average person is making annually. 

Irving is even more affordable, by the index’s measure. You’d only need to make $45,200 to afford a studio apartment in the city, and most residents are making closer to $50,000 each year. The most affordable North Texas city on the list is Arlington, and choosing to move to Arlington is basically the same as when Miranda decided to move to Brooklyn in season 6, except that Brooklyn is cool. 

Texas’ most affordable city is San Antonio, where the median salary exceeds what’s needed to live in a studio without breaking the bank by more than $11,600. 

In general, The Economist believes that the influx of residents to the state since the pandemic has forced rent prices to outpace wage growth, a problem affecting other cities that have typically been viewed as more affordable. In Memphis, Tennessee, which recorded the steepest slip in affordability, demand has shot the median studio apartment price up $1,200 in the last year. 

For the most studio apartment bang for your well-earned buck, Wichita, Kansas, takes the cake as the most affordable U.S. city. 

We couldn’t help but wonder, might our Mr. Big be a Midwesterner?