How this calculator works
Ratio = target city basket ÷ current city basket. Required salary = current salary × ratio. Basket comparison tracks moving sites' methodology closely enough for a decision.
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Cost of Living Calculator — Salary Needed After a Move
A $90k salary buys very different lives in different cities. Enter your current salary and a comparable monthly cost basket (rent + groceries + transport) in both cities.
Scenario examples (2026 rates)
| Current salary ($) | Salary needed in new city |
|---|---|
| 45,000 | $57,857.14 |
| 67,500 | $86,785.71 |
| 90,000 | $115,714.29 |
| 135,000 | $173,571.43 |
| 180,000 | $231,428.57 |
Every number above is computed by the same in-browser engine as the calculator — nothing is hardcoded.
Why the Same Salary Buys Three Different Lives
Housing is the whole argument. A two-bedroom apartment runs about $1,500 per month in Indianapolis, $2,400 in Denver, $3,200 in Seattle and $4,500-plus in Manhattan, so a $90,000 salary is upper-middle comfort in the first city and financial stress in the last. The second-order effects compound: state income tax ranges from zero in Texas, Florida, Washington and Nevada to a top marginal rate above 10 percent in California and near that in New York and Hawaii; car dependence doubles or halves a transport budget; property tax and insurance premiums, climate-driven now, differ by thousands per year. Remote work exposed the arbitrage, and employers responded with geographic pay policies that cut pay for movers to cheaper metros. The basket method this calculator uses, comparing rent, groceries, transport and utilities, captures 80-plus percent of the real gap. Miss the tax column and you will miscalculate high-income moves by five figures.
Reading the Result: What the Ratio Really Tells You
The output is a single number, required salary equals current salary times the cost ratio, and it deserves interpretation rather than obedience. A ratio near 1.0, say Boise versus Sacramento, means the move is financially neutral and the decision rests on lifestyle, family and job quality. A ratio above 1.2 toward a coastal or high-tax metro means the offer must clear the number here before you even discuss career upside, and a remote-to-office mandate that cuts your flexibility should carry a premium on top. A ratio below 0.85 toward the Sun Belt or Midwest is real money, but discount it: lower-cost metros also pay lower local salaries, which is exactly why your current income buys so much there, and the gap narrows if you ever re-enter the local job market. Always finish with two checks the basket skips: the state tax calculator for take-home truth, and live rent listings for the biggest line. Ratio plus taxes plus current listings equals a decision you will not relitigate in month four.
The Hidden Costs of the Move Itself
Relocation carries one-time costs that never appear in a cost-of-living ratio. Moving company quotes run $1,500 to $6,000 cross-country depending on volume and season, DIY trailer rental lands around $800 to $2,000, and temporary housing plus double rent during the overlap adds one to two months of living costs. Then the friction of a new city: replacing local knowledge (which mechanic, which grocer, which pediatrician), longer commutes until you learn the shortcuts, license and registration fees, and in some states a higher insurance premium on day one. Employers sometimes cover all of it, a relocation package of $5,000 to $15,000 is common for professional moves, and it is negotiable even when not initially offered. If the package is thin, price the move honestly, add it to the calculator's answer, and require the first-year total, not just the salary ratio, to clear. A move that breaks even in year three is a bad move; one that pays back inside eighteen months is worth the boxes.
FAQ
What should the basket include?
Rent (the biggest mover), groceries, transit/gas, utilities. It intentionally excludes income tax differences — adjust manually for states like CA vs TX.
Where do I find basket numbers?
Rent: current listings in the target city. Groceries/utilities: Numbeo-style city comparisons are accurate within ~10%.
Should I negotiate salary before or after a relocation offer?
After you know the destination numbers, but before you accept the offer in writing. Employers frequently propose geographic pay adjustments, and the leverage window closes once you sign. Show your work: the basket comparison from this calculator, local rent listings, and the state tax delta. Companies that relocate employees routinely adjust 5 to 20 percent for cost-of-living moves, and the ask is stronger when it is arithmetic rather than aspiration.
Do cost-of-living calculators account for income taxes?
Most do not, including the basket method here, which compares spending rather than take-home. That omission can flip a decision: $100,000 in Seattle nets far more than $100,000 in San Francisco because Washington charges no state income tax while California's top marginal rate is near 10 percent. Run the required salary through the state income tax calculator before treating any relocation as a win.
How accurate are crowd-sourced cost numbers?
Within about 10 percent for groceries, utilities and transit, which is plenty for a go/no-go decision, but weaker for rent because listings age fast and crowd entries lag the market. Sharpen the biggest line item yourself: pull five to ten live listings for the unit type you actually want in the target city. Since rent dominates the basket, fresh listings fix most of the error the crowd data carries.