Personal finance
Salary comparison by city
A $100k salary is not the same everywhere. This converts your pay into the equivalent in another city, so you can compare offers on what they actually buy.
A raise to move to a pricier city can be a pay cut in disguise, and a lower number in a cheaper city can leave you better off. This adjusts your salary by the difference in cost of living between two metros, driven mostly by housing. So you compare offers on purchasing power, not the headline figure.
Pick two cities and your current salary.
Worked example
A $100,000 salary in Austin, moving to New York:
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Salary in Austin | $100,000 |
| Cost-of-living index (Austin → New York) | 115 → 187 |
| Equivalent salary in New York | $162,609 |
| Raise needed to break even | $62,609 |
To live in New York the way $100,000 lives in Austin, you'd need about $162,609, a $62,609 raise just to stand still. An offer below that number is a cut in real terms, however much bigger it looks.
Questions
What drives the difference between cities?
Housing, by a wide margin. Groceries, utilities, transport and healthcare vary far less between metros, so a city's overall index tracks its rents and home prices more than anything else.
Does this include state income tax?
No. Cost of living and income tax are separate, a move from California to Texas cuts both your rent and your state tax, and only the first shows up here. Use the paycheck and multi-state calculators for the tax side.
How accurate are the indices?
They're approximate reference figures (base 100 = US average), fine for comparing offers directionally but not precise to the dollar. Your own rent and lifestyle can differ from a city's average by a lot.
Related tools
- Paycheck calculator the take-home side, including state tax
- Multi-state tax moving mid-year
- Buy vs rent housing is the biggest line
Cost-of-living indices are approximate reference data and exclude income tax. Not financial advice.