Cost of Living Calculator

Find the salary you would need in another city to keep the same lifestyle, using cost-of-living indices. Free and accurate.

Independently verified for accuracy

Calculator by Toolsloft ↗
Equivalent salary
$104,000.00
Difference
$24,000.00

This calculator tells you the salary you would need in another city to maintain the same standard of living, based on each city's cost-of-living index. It is useful when weighing a job offer, a relocation, or a remote-work move between an expensive and an affordable area.

How this is calculated

The equivalent salary is your current salary times the new city index divided by your current city index, where 100 represents the national average, and the difference is the equivalent minus your current pay.

How to use

  1. Enter your current salary.
  2. Enter each city's cost-of-living index, where 100 = the national average.
  3. Read the equivalent salary you would need in the new city and the difference.

Examples

  • $80,000 from index 100 to 130: equivalent $104,000 → difference $24,000
  • Cheaper city: index 130 → 100 lowers the equivalent salary

FAQ

How is the equivalent salary calculated?
Equivalent salary = current salary × new city index ÷ current city index.
What does a cost-of-living index of 100 mean?
An index of 100 represents the national average. An index of 130 means costs are about 30% higher than average.
Are these indices exact?
No. Cost-of-living indices are approximate and vary by source. You can find city indices on sites like Numbeo or BestPlaces.

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