Salary Cost of Living Calculator
Moving to a new city? Enter your current salary and cities to instantly see what you'd need to earn to maintain the same standard of living — adjusted for real cost-of-living differences in housing, groceries, transport, and more.
To maintain your lifestyle in San Francisco, CA you need
$136,500
That's +$61,500 more per year
Cost Breakdown by Category
Housing
330index
▲ +230% vs national avg
Transport
116index
▲ +16% vs national avg
Groceries
113index
▲ +13% vs national avg
Utilities
115index
▲ +15% vs national avg
Healthcare
105index
▲ +5% vs national avg
Misc / Other
120index
▲ +20% vs national avg
How it works: The Cost of Living (COL) index uses the US national average as a baseline of 100. An index of 150 means living costs are 50% above the national average. Equivalent salary is calculated as: salary × (target COL / current COL). Data based on C2ER/ACCRA Cost of Living Index and public BLS data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the cost of living calculator work?▾
The calculator divides your current salary by your city's Cost of Living (COL) index, then multiplies by the target city's index. This gives you the salary needed to maintain equivalent purchasing power. Formula: Equivalent Salary = Current Salary × (Target COL ÷ Current COL).
What does the COL index number mean?▾
The US national average is set to 100. A COL of 182 (San Francisco) means the city is 82% more expensive than the national average. A COL of 88 (Detroit) means it's 12% cheaper.
Why does housing have such a big impact?▾
Housing typically accounts for 30–40% of most people's budget and varies far more between cities than other expenses. That's why even modest housing cost differences create large differences in equivalent salary.
Is this calculator accurate?▾
The indices are derived from C2ER/ACCRA Cost of Living Index data and BLS statistics — the same sources used by researchers and employers for relocation packages. They represent averages; your actual costs will vary based on lifestyle, neighborhood, and family size.
Compare Salaries by Job Title
Once you know your equivalent salary target, explore what real jobs pay in your destination city.