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🌍 Cost of Living Calculator

See how far your salary goes in a different city. Enter your current income and two cost-of-living indexes to find the equivalent salary that maintains your lifestyle.

Current annual salary

Current city index

Target city index

What is this tool?

The cost of living is the amount of money needed to maintain a certain standard of living in a particular location, covering essentials such as housing, food, transportation, healthcare and taxes. It varies enormously between cities and countries — the same lifestyle that costs 50,000 dollars a year in a small town might require 90,000 dollars or more in a major metropolis. When you are considering a job offer in a new city, evaluating a relocation, or simply curious about how your salary compares, a cost-of-living calculation is essential. A 20 percent raise that comes with a 40 percent increase in living expenses actually leaves you worse off, and only a side-by-side comparison reveals the truth. This calculator uses cost-of-living indexes, which express each location’s costs relative to a baseline (often a national average set at 100). You enter your current salary, your current city’s index and the target city’s index, and the tool computes the salary you would need in the new location to maintain the same purchasing power. Everything runs locally in your browser, so your salary details stay private.

How it works

The equivalent salary is calculated using a simple ratio: Equivalent Salary = Current Salary × (Target Index / Current Index). For example, if you earn 60,000 dollars in a city with an index of 100 and are considering a move to a city with an index of 150, the equivalent salary is 60,000 × (150 / 100) = 90,000 dollars. This means you would need to earn 90,000 dollars in the new city to afford the same standard of living. The calculator also shows the difference between the equivalent salary and your current salary, so you can instantly see whether a job offer in the new city represents a real raise or a pay cut in purchasing-power terms. The underlying assumption is that the indexes accurately capture the difference in the full cost of maintaining your lifestyle, including housing, which is usually the largest variable.

Cost of Living Index — Major US Cities

Indexes are relative to the US national average (100). A value above 100 means the city is more expensive than average; below 100 means cheaper.

City	Overall Index	Housing Index	Groceries Index
New York, NY	172	312	128
San Francisco, CA	192	359	124
Los Angeles, CA	153	238	112
Chicago, IL	111	146	102
Houston, TX	98	99	101
Phoenix, AZ	107	117	100
Atlanta, GA	104	111	101

Note: Index values are approximate, based on aggregations from Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and Numbeo data. Housing is the largest driver of index differences between cities.

Average Monthly Household Expenses by Category (US)

Understanding where your money goes helps you weigh a move. These are typical monthly figures for an average US household.

Category	Average Monthly Cost	% of Household Budget
Housing (rent / mortgage)	$1,800 – $2,800	33%
Transportation	$700 – $950	16%
Food (groceries + dining)	$600 – $850	13%
Healthcare	$450 – $600	8%
Utilities (gas, electric, water)	$350 – $500	7%
Personal insurance & pensions	$600 – $900	12%

Note: Figures are based on US Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey data. Actual spending varies significantly by region, household size and lifestyle.

How to use

Enter your current annual salary.
Enter the cost-of-living index for your current city (the national average is typically 100).
Enter the cost-of-living index for the city you are considering.
Click Calculate to see the equivalent salary and the difference.
Use the result to evaluate job offers or plan a relocation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find cost-of-living indexes?

Several organisations publish cost-of-living indexes for cities worldwide, including Numbeo, Mercer, the Economist Intelligence Unit and government statistics agencies. Look for a source that includes housing, food, transportation and healthcare for the most accurate comparison. The national average is usually set at 100 as a baseline.

Does the calculator account for taxes?

No. This calculator compares pre-tax salaries using cost-of-living indexes, which reflect the prices of goods and services but not income tax rates. If the two locations have very different tax structures (for example, different countries or states), you should also factor in the after-tax difference separately.

Is a higher salary in an expensive city always better?

Not necessarily. If the cost of living rises faster than your salary, you may have less disposable income despite earning more. The calculator shows the break-even salary; any offer above that figure represents a real improvement in purchasing power, while anything below it means you would be worse off.

Why does housing matter so much?

Housing (rent or mortgage payments) is typically the largest single expense in any household budget, often consuming 30–50 percent of income. Differences in housing costs between cities are usually much larger than differences in food or transportation costs, so housing drives most of the variation in cost-of-living indexes.

This tool is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified financial professional for advice specific to your situation.

Tips & Advice

When evaluating a relocation, look beyond the headline salary and consider the full financial picture: state or national income tax rates, housing costs, transportation needs (a city with good public transit may let you sell a car), and the cost of specific expenses that matter to your lifestyle such as childcare or healthcare. A cost-of-living index is an average, but your personal spending pattern may deviate significantly from the average — if you spend unusually on housing or dining out, weight those categories more heavily. Remember that moving to a lower-cost area can be a powerful wealth-building strategy: the same salary in a cheaper city leaves more room for saving and investing. Conversely, moving to a high-cost city for career advancement can pay off over the long term through higher future earnings, networking opportunities and career growth, even if the immediate purchasing power drops. Always negotiate relocation assistance or a cost-of-living adjustment as part of any job offer that requires a move.

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