Cost of Living Calculator for Two Cities

This calculator estimates the salary you would need in a new city to keep your standard of living. It uses a cost of living index for each city, built from six categories weighted about like this: housing 32%, groceries 14%, transportation 15%, utilities 9%, healthcare 8% and everything else 22%. The figures are index estimates, not measured prices, so your own costs will differ.

It then finds the gross pay that leaves you the same buying power after federal, FICA, state and city taxes, using each city’s overall index. Taxes matter here. Moving from a state with no income tax, like Texas or Florida, to a high-tax place like New York City or San Francisco means a raise has to cover higher prices and the extra tax taken from your paycheck.