Job Offer Comparator Calculator
Total compensation comparison across job offers.
About this calculator
This calculator puts two job offers on equal footing by building out full total compensation for each rather than comparing base salaries alone. For each offer, bonus is calculated as a percentage of that offer's base salary (not a flat number), and the employer 401k match is likewise a percentage of that offer's base — so two offers with identical percentages but different base salaries will show different dollar values for both. Total compensation sums base, bonus, annual equity value, the employer's health-benefit contribution, and the retirement match dollar amount.
From there, the calculator subtracts each offer's annualized commute cost (monthly commute expense times 12) to get a "net after commute" figure, which is often the more honest number for day-to-day comparison since it accounts for money you're actually spending to get compensated. The comparison lines (both raw total-comp difference and net difference) are simply Offer B minus Offer A, so a positive number always favors Offer B regardless of which offer you consider your "primary." Effective hourly rate divides net compensation by a fixed 2,080-hour work year, useful for sanity-checking two offers with different bonus structures or equity that may or may not vest reliably. Note that equity is entered as a flat annual value you supply — the calculator doesn't model vesting schedules, cliffs, or valuation risk, so treat equity-heavy offers with appropriate skepticism about whether that number will actually materialize.
Comp Difference (B - A)
$13,000.00
Net Difference (B - A)
$14,800.00
Inputs
Comparison
Offer A Total Compensation
$97,200.00
Base + bonus + equity + health + retirement match.
Offer B Total Compensation
$110,200.00
Base + bonus + equity + health + retirement match.
Offer A Net (after commute)
$94,800.00
Total comp minus annual commute costs.
Offer B Net (after commute)
$109,600.00
Total comp minus annual commute costs.
Offer A Effective $/hr
$45.58
Net compensation divided by 2,080 work hours.
Offer B Effective $/hr
$52.69
Net compensation divided by 2,080 work hours.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter base salary, bonus (%), equity value, health benefit value, and 401k match for Offer A.
- Repeat for Offer B.
- Set monthly commute cost for each offer.
- Review total compensation comparison and net difference to make an apples-to-apples decision.
How the result changes with Offer B: Base Salary ($)
| Offer B: Base Salary ($) | Comp Difference (B - A) | Net Difference (B - A) |
|---|---|---|
| 45,000 | -$35,600.00 | -$33,800.00 |
| 67,500 | -$11,300.00 | -$9,500.00 |
| 135,000 | $61,600.00 | $63,400.00 |
| 225,000 | $158,800.00 | $160,600.00 |
What each input means
- Offer A: Base Salary ($)
- Annual base salary for Offer A.
- Offer A: Bonus (%)
- Target annual bonus as a percentage of base salary.
- Offer A: Annual Equity ($)
- Annual value of stock options, RSUs, or equity grants.
- Offer A: Health Benefits Value ($)
- Annual employer contribution to health insurance.
- Offer A: 401k Match (%)
- Employer 401k match as percentage of salary.
- Offer A: Monthly Commute Cost ($)
- Monthly commute expense (gas, transit, parking).
- Offer B: Base Salary ($)
- Annual base salary for Offer B.
What each result means
- Offer A Total Compensation
- Base + bonus + equity + health + retirement match.
- Offer A Net (after commute)
- Total comp minus annual commute costs.
- Comp Difference (B - A)
- How much more (or less) Offer B pays in total compensation.
- Net Difference (B - A)
- Net advantage of Offer B after commute costs.
- Offer A Effective $/hr
- Net compensation divided by 2,080 work hours.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersOffer A: Base Salary ($) = 80000, Offer A: Bonus (%) = 10, Offer A: Annual Equity ($) = 0, Offer A: Health Benefits Value ($) = 6000 = 12 input(s) provided
- Calculate Comp DifferenceComp Difference = totalCompB - totalCompA13000 = $13,000
- Calculate Net DifferenceNet Difference = netAfterCommuteB - netAfterCommuteA14800 = $14,800
- Calculate Offer A Total CompensationOffer A Total Compensation = baseSalaryA + bonusA + equityAnnualA + healthBenefitA + retirementA97200 = $97,200
- Calculate Offer B Total CompensationOffer B Total Compensation = baseSalaryB + bonusB + equityAnnualB + healthBenefitB + retirementB110200 = $110,200
Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do two offers with the same bonus percentage show different bonus dollar amounts?
Bonus is calculated as a percentage of each offer's own base salary, not a shared or flat number — so a 10% bonus on an $80,000 base is $8,000, while the same 10% on a $90,000 base is $9,000. The 401k match works the same way, as a percentage of that offer's specific base, which is why entering identical percentages for both offers can still produce different total compensation.
What does the Net (after commute) figure add that Total Compensation doesn't?
Net after commute subtracts each offer's monthly commute cost, annualized by multiplying by 12, from its total compensation. It's meant to reflect money you actually spend to earn that paycheck, so a lower-paying offer with a much shorter or cheaper commute can end up ahead on the net figure even when it loses on raw total compensation.
Does the calculator account for equity vesting or the risk that stock options are worth less than stated?
No — Annual Equity is entered as a flat dollar value you supply and is added directly into total compensation with no adjustment for vesting cliffs, vesting schedules, or valuation uncertainty. If one offer is equity-heavy, treat its comparison numbers with more skepticism than a mostly cash offer, since the calculator has no way to discount for the chance that equity value doesn't materialize as entered.
How is Effective $/Hour different from just dividing salary by hours?
Effective $/Hour divides each offer's Net (after commute) — not its base salary or even total compensation — by a fixed 2,080-hour work year. That means it already reflects bonus, equity, benefits, and retirement match, minus commute costs, giving a single per-hour figure that's useful for comparing two offers with very different bonus structures or commute burdens on equal footing.
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