Cost of Living Comparison Calculator

Weighing a move or a job offer in another city? Enter a cost of living index for each city and your current salary, and this calculator instantly shows the salary you'd need in the new city to keep the same lifestyle — plus what your current pay would feel like if you moved without a raise. Everything runs privately in your browser.

📖 How it works & FAQ

Current city name

Current city cost index

New city name

New city cost index

Your current salary ($ per year)

How the two-city salary math works

A cost of living index compresses rent, groceries, transport, utilities, and everyday prices into a single number so cities can be compared at a glance. This calculator runs the standard relocation formula: equivalent salary = your current salary × (new city index ÷ current city index). If your city scores 100 and the new one scores 118, life there costs roughly 18% more, so a $75,000 lifestyle needs about $88,500 to feel the same. The calculator also flips the formula to show buying power — what your unchanged salary would actually feel like after the move — and breaks the gap down into a monthly figure you can bring to a salary negotiation.

How to use it

Type both city names so the result cards read naturally.
Look up a cost of living index for each city and enter the two scores. Always take both numbers from the same source so they are comparable.
Enter your current gross annual salary.
Read the cards: the salary needed in the new city, the percentage cost difference, what your current pay would feel like there, and the monthly raise (or breathing room) involved.
Adjust the indexes to test scenarios — an index that includes rent and one that excludes it can tell very different stories.

These figures are rough estimates for planning and negotiation only — not professional, financial, or tax advice. Taxes, housing choices, and personal spending vary widely, and every assumption above is editable.

FAQ

Where do I find a cost of living index?: Crowd-sourced databases like Numbeo, salary sites like Payscale, and research groups such as C2ER all publish city indexes. Any source works — just use the same one for both cities, since scales differ between sources.
Should I use the index with rent or without?: If you rent or plan to buy at local prices, use the index that includes housing — housing is usually the biggest difference between cities. The excluding-rent index suits people whose housing cost won't change after the move.
Does this account for taxes?: No. The comparison uses gross salary; state and local taxes can shift the real answer by several percent, so check both cities' tax rates before accepting an offer.
Is anything uploaded?: No. All of the math happens in your browser with plain JavaScript — nothing is sent to a server or stored anywhere.