Compare living costs between two cities.
We Are Calculator
Professional Financial Tools
8/25/2026
Use your gross (pre-tax) base salary. Exclude irregular bonuses for the most accurate comparison.
Your IRS filing status. Affects both federal and state income tax calculations.
The % of your take-home pay that goes to rent or mortgage. National average is 33%. Renters in expensive cities often spend 40–55%. Higher values amplify the cost difference for cities where housing is the biggest driver.
Select your city. The calculator uses BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) data to measure cost of living.
City you're considering moving to. Equivalent salary accounts for both cost-of-living and state income tax differences.
Enter the gross salary offered in the destination city. The calculator will show whether it clears your break-even equivalent salary.
Gross salary in San Francisco that provides the same after-tax purchasing power as your current salary — accounting for BEA price levels, state income tax, and your 33% housing expenditure weight.
San Francisco is 31.5% more expensive than Columbus based on BEA Regional Price Parity indices (national average = 100).
After federal + OH state + Columbus city income tax. Effective rate: 15.24%.
After federal + CA state income tax on the equivalent salary. Effective rate: 19.69%.
Federal + state + city income tax as % of gross salary. FICA/payroll taxes are equal in both cities and excluded.
Federal + state income tax rate on the equivalent salary in the destination city.