Compare salaries between cities based on cost of living differences
This cost of living calculator helps you compare the cost of living between two cities and determine the salary you would need in a new city to maintain your current standard of living. By comparing six major expense categories — housing, food, transportation, utilities, healthcare, and goods & services — it provides a comprehensive picture of how far your money will go in a different location.
Whether you are considering a job offer in another city, planning a relocation, or simply curious about how your purchasing power compares, this tool gives you the data you need to make an informed financial decision.
Enter your current city and target city names, then input your current annual salary. Adjust the cost indices for each category based on the relative costs in the target city (baseline 100 represents the national average). Use the preset buttons to quickly set all indices to average, high-cost, or low-cost values. Click Calculate to see the equivalent salary needed and a category-by-category breakdown of cost differences.
The equivalent salary is calculated by taking your current salary and multiplying it by the ratio of the target city's composite cost index to your current city's composite cost index. The composite index is the average of all six category indices. This shows you how much you would need to earn in the target city to maintain the same purchasing power.
The calculator covers six categories: housing (rent/mortgage), food (groceries and dining), transportation (fuel, fares, vehicle costs), utilities (electricity, water, internet), healthcare (insurance, medical services), and goods & services (clothing, entertainment, personal care). These categories represent the major components of typical household spending.