Cost of Living Comparison Calculator
Find the salary you'd need in another city to keep the same standard of living, using each city's cost-of-living index.
How it works
Equivalent salary = current salary × (new city index ÷ current city index) · Real value of same salary = salary × (current index ÷ new city index)
Cost-of-living indices normalize the price of a typical basket — housing, groceries, transport, healthcare — so a value of 100 is the national average and 140 means 40% more expensive. To hold your standard of living constant when you move, your salary must scale by the ratio of the two cities' indices. The flip side is just as useful: keeping the same salary in a pricier city cuts its real value, which is what makes big-city raises feel smaller than they look.
Worked example
Earning $80,000 in a city at index 100 and moving to a city at index 140: you'd need 80,000 × (140 ÷ 100) = $112,000 to live equivalently — $32,000 more. Conversely, your $80,000 would feel like only about $57,143 of your old buying power there.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the cost-of-living indices come from?
City comparison sites and cost-of-living databases publish indices where 100 is a national baseline. Housing usually dominates the difference between cities, so check whether the index weights rent the way your budget does.
Does this include taxes?
No. It compares only cost of living. State and local income taxes can move your take-home pay meaningfully between cities, so pair this with a paycheck or income-tax estimate for the full picture.
Should I trust the number exactly?
Treat it as a starting benchmark. Your personal inflation depends on your housing choice, commute and lifestyle, which may differ a lot from the average basket the index measures.
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