Cost of Living Comparison Calculator
Compare 30 major US cities. See the salary you need to maintain your lifestyle, which cost category differs most, and the 5-year wealth impact of where you live.
Monthly cost comparison by category. Which category hurts your budget the most in New York, NY?
Biggest Cost Differences
Net Worth Trajectory: Chicago, IL vs New York, NY
| Year | Chicago, IL Home Value | Chicago, IL Cum. Cost | Chicago, IL Net | New York, NY Home Value | New York, NY Cum. Cost | New York, NY Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $351,900 | $44,238 | +$307,662 | $776,250 | $80,619 | +$695,631 |
| 2 | $364,216 | $88,476 | +$275,740 | $803,419 | $161,238 | +$642,181 |
| 3 | $376,964 | $132,714 | +$244,250 | $831,538 | $241,857 | +$589,682 |
| 4 | $390,158 | $176,952 | +$213,206 | $860,642 | $322,476 | +$538,167 |
| 5 | $403,813 | $221,190 | +$182,623 | $890,765 | $403,095 | +$487,670 |
| 6 | $417,947 | $265,428 | +$152,519 | $921,941 | $483,713 | +$438,228 |
| 7 | $432,575 | $309,666 | +$122,909 | $954,209 | $564,332 | +$389,877 |
| 8 | $447,715 | $353,904 | +$93,811 | $987,607 | $644,951 | +$342,656 |
| 9 | $463,385 | $398,142 | +$65,243 | $1,022,173 | $725,570 | +$296,603 |
| 10 | $479,604 | $442,380 | +$37,224 | $1,057,949 | $806,189 | +$251,760 |
How to Use This Cost of Living Comparison Calculator
Select two US cities and enter your current salary to see how much you'd need to earn in the target city to maintain your same standard of living. The calculator uses a weighted cost-of-living index covering housing, transportation, groceries, utilities, taxes, and rent.
Quick Calculator
Choose City A (where you live now) and City B (where you're considering moving). Enter your current salary. The result shows the equivalent salary needed in City B, plus a cost-of-living index comparison and monthly housing cost difference.
Advanced Analysis
The Category Breakdown tab shows which spending category differs most between the cities — often housing accounts for 50%+ of the difference. The Homeownership Impact tab shows what your same mortgage payment buys in each city. The Remote Work tab calculates your real purchasing power gain if you keep a City A salary while living in City B.
Professional Simulator
The 5-Year Wealth model tracks net worth trajectory in each city including home appreciation and cumulative living costs. The State Tax Impact tab shows the combined burden of state income tax plus property tax. The Quality of Life tab compares cost-adjusted metrics side by side.
The Cost of Living Index Formula
Equivalent Salary = Current Salary × (City B Index / City A Index)
The index is normalized so that Chicago (a mid-cost city) equals approximately 100. A city with an index of 150 costs 50% more to live in than Chicago on average. The salary equivalency formula adjusts your income so your purchasing power stays constant.
Example: Moving from Chicago to San Francisco
Sarah's Remote Work Relocation Decision
Sarah earns $85,000 in Chicago and got a remote job offer. She can live anywhere. She's considering San Francisco.
| Chicago salary | $85,000 |
| Chicago COL Index | 100 |
| San Francisco COL Index | ~182 |
| Equivalent SF salary needed | ~$154,700 |
| Chicago median rent | $2,100/mo |
| SF median rent | $4,200/mo |
| Rent difference | +$2,100/mo |
| State income tax difference | +$7,905/yr (CA at 9.3%) |
Sarah would need nearly double her salary to maintain the same lifestyle in San Francisco. Instead, she negotiates to live in Austin, TX — a COL index of ~120 vs Chicago's 100 — and keeps $15K+/year in extra purchasing power even while earning her Chicago salary remotely.