Why 'the same salary' is never the same salary
A $150,000 salary in Austin and a $150,000 salary in San Francisco are not the same offer. After state tax ($0 vs $13,950), after rent ($2,250/mo vs $3,700/mo = $17,400/yr delta), after groceries and transportation at roughly 60% higher in SF — the real purchasing power gap is about $45-55k. The Austin offer is worth more.
But this isn't universal. A $300,000 salary in San Francisco crosses a threshold where incremental cost-of-living becomes proportionally smaller (housing is a fixed-ish cost, not a percentage). At very high incomes, SF can actually have more discretionary income than a smaller metro because the absolute difference in take-home after housing dwarfs the COLI adjustment. The math shifts based on where you are on the income ladder.
This tool gives you the math, metro by metro. Run your current city against any target city and see the real picture before you move.
The three numbers that matter on a city move
1. Take-home pay. Gross minus federal, FICA, and state tax. This is the check you actually receive. Between zero-tax states (TX, FL, WA, NV, TN, SD, WY, AK, NH on wages) and 10%+ states (CA, HI, NY, NJ, OR, MN), the take-home delta on a $200k salary is $20-25k/yr.
2. After-rent income. Take-home minus annual rent. This is what you actually have for everything else — groceries, savings, travel, kids. The rent cost alone can swing $15-25k between metros.
3. Real purchasing power. Take-home divided by the city's cost-of-living index, renormalized to a national baseline. This is the apples-to-apples comparison number. When deciding between offers, this is what to compare.
Example: when moving FROM a high-cost city, watch out
Moving from San Francisco to Austin at the same salary looks like a massive quality-of-life improvement. Often it is. But: tech companies routinely "geo-adjust" salary down when you move. A $280,000 SF salary might be $230,000 if you relocate to Austin, which puts you back near net-neutral on purchasing power after accounting for lower cost of living.
Before initiating a relocation, get the geo adjustment in writing. Some companies (GitLab, Zapier, Doist) have explicit geo bands and will tell you the new number before you move. Others (Google, Meta) have had policy shifts year to year. Ask: "If I relocate to [city], what's the comp adjustment, and when does it take effect?"
Example: moving TO a high-cost city
Moving from Dallas to NYC with the same $150,000 salary is a disaster on paper. State tax moves from 0% to 9.65% ($14,475/yr), rent moves from ~$1,850/mo to ~$4,400/mo ($30,600/yr delta), and COLI jumps from 103 to 187. Real purchasing power drops by roughly $55-65k/yr.
The question isn't whether to move — it's what salary you need to break even. Run this tool: the equivalent salary in NYC to match Dallas purchasing power is roughly $270,000. Anything less is a pay cut in real terms, regardless of how the headline salary compares.
This is the single most useful application of city-vs-city math. If a recruiter in NYC offers you $200k after you've been making $150k in Dallas, feel the excitement, then run the numbers. The real purchasing power is barely higher.
What this tool doesn't capture
City-level income tax. NYC adds ~3-4% for residents. Yonkers adds ~1.5%. Philadelphia wage tax is ~3.75%. Detroit adds ~2.4%. This tool shows state tax only; add city tax separately for a full picture.
Housing type differences. The rent number is a metro-level median for a 1-2 bedroom. Actual rent varies wildly by neighborhood (SF's Mission vs Pac Heights, NYC's Midtown vs Astoria). If you have specific neighborhood targets, adjust the numbers accordingly.
Owner-occupant economics. Buying vs renting changes the math significantly. Property tax, mortgage interest deduction, and home-price appreciation are all city-specific. For owner-occupant comparisons, this tool is a starting point, not the full analysis.
Lifestyle specifics. Private school tuition ($30-50k/yr for K-12 in NYC/SF), car ownership requirements (essential in Houston, optional in NYC), commute length and transit costs — all vary by metro and by individual situation.
Pairing with other calculators
For a full offer comparison involving a city move: (1) use this tool to get the equivalent-salary number, (2) use the Take-Home Pay Calculator with the real state rate to see monthly net, (3) use the Total Compensation Analyzer to compare full packages across offers, (4) use the Cost of Living Salary Adjustment tool for a sanity check on the COLI translation.
For international moves, use the Expat Salary Comparison tool instead — different tax regimes, currency effects, and cost-of-living structures apply.
Where the data comes from
The cost-of-living indexes in this tool are composite figures sourced from published metro-level data (BLS CPI-U by metro, Numbeo cost of living crowd-sourced data, CCERC composite index). State tax rates are marginal top-bracket for high earners; effective rates for middle earners are lower. Rent figures are metro-median for a 1-bedroom apartment as of early 2026. All figures are directional and should be verified for your specific situation before making a relocation decision.
Update cadence: we refresh these figures annually in Q1. The relative rankings change slowly (the cities with high COLI in 2020 are mostly still high in 2026), but absolute numbers shift several percent each year.
Disclaimer
This is not financial, tax, or relocation advice. Cost-of-living estimates vary by household size, housing type, lifestyle, and neighborhood. State and local tax rules change frequently. Before making a relocation decision worth more than a few thousand dollars, run the specific numbers with a tax professional or CPA in both the origin and destination states. This tool provides directional comparisons based on metro-level averages, not binding projections for your household.