Cost of Living Comparison Calculator

Compare cost of living between two cities to find the equivalent salary needed to maintain your current lifestyle.

Equivalent Salary Needed

$90,000

Inputs

Current Annual Salary

Current City Cost Index

New City Cost Index

Housing Budget Weight

Food Budget Weight

Comparison

Purchasing Power Change

-20%

How your purchasing power changes. Negative means you lose buying power.

Monthly Housing Cost Difference

$488

Expected monthly housing cost change, weighted more heavily than the overall index.

Monthly Food Cost Difference

$206

Expected monthly food cost change based on cost index difference.

Monthly Cost Difference

$1,250

How much more or less you'd need to spend each month in the new city.

Annual Cost Difference

$15,000

Total annual difference in cost of living between the two cities at your income level.

Cost Breakdown

How to Use This Calculator

Enter your Current Annual Salary.
Set the Current City Cost Index and the New City Cost Index (100 = US average; find indices at Numbeo or BestPlaces).
Adjust Housing Weight and Food Weight if your spending differs from the default mix.
Review the Equivalent Salary Needed in the new city and Purchasing Power Change (%).

How the result changes with Current City Cost Index

Current City Cost Index	Equivalent Salary Needed
75	$120,000
138	$65,217
213	$42,254
275	$32,727

What each input means

Current Annual Salary: Your current gross annual salary before taxes.
Current City Cost Index: Cost of living index for your current city. 100 = national average. Find yours at BLS or Numbeo.
New City Cost Index: Cost of living index for the city you're considering. Example: NYC ~187, Austin ~95, SF ~180.
Housing Budget Weight: Percentage of your income that goes to housing. The national average is about 30%.
Food Budget Weight: Percentage of your income spent on food and groceries. The national average is about 13-15%.

What each result means

Equivalent Salary Needed: The salary you'd need in the new city to match your current purchasing power.
Purchasing Power Change: How your purchasing power changes. Negative means you lose buying power.
Monthly Housing Cost Difference: Expected monthly housing cost change, weighted more heavily than the overall index.
Monthly Food Cost Difference: Expected monthly food cost change based on cost index difference.
Monthly Cost Difference: How much more or less you'd need to spend each month in the new city.
Annual Cost Difference: Total annual difference in cost of living between the two cities at your income level.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Current Annual Salary = 75000, Current City Cost Index = 100, New City Cost Index = 120, Housing Budget Weight = 30 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Equivalent Salary Needed
Equivalent Salary Needed
90000 = 90000
Calculate Purchasing Power Change
Purchasing Power Change
-20 = -20
Calculate Monthly Housing Cost Difference
Monthly Housing Cost Difference
488 = 488

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