Cost of Living Calculator
Planning a move? Find out what equivalent salary you need in your destination city to maintain your current standard of living. Compare rent, groceries, and transportation costs across 25 major US cities.
$80,000 in New York City is equivalent to
$48,800
in Atlanta — cost of living is 39.0% lower
Salary Difference
-$31,200
you need less
CoL Index Ratio
61 vs 100
NYC = 100
Category Breakdown
Indices are estimates based on 2024 data. Actual costs vary by neighborhood, lifestyle, and housing type.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter your current salary and select your current city and your destination. The calculator shows the equivalent salary needed in the new city and breaks down the cost difference by category. Green bars indicate cheaper categories; red indicates more expensive ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which US city has the highest cost of living?
New York City consistently ranks as the most expensive US city, followed closely by San Francisco, Boston, and Washington DC. Hawaii (not included as a single city) also ranks extremely high when considered.
How is cost of living calculated?
Cost of living indices combine the costs of housing/rent, groceries, transportation, healthcare, utilities, and miscellaneous expenses into a single number relative to a benchmark city. NYC is commonly used as the 100 baseline.
Do higher cost of living cities pay higher salaries?
Generally yes, but not always proportionally. San Francisco tech salaries can be 2–3× the national average, but SF's cost of living is only about 90% of NYC's. Cities like Austin and Atlanta offer decent salaries with significantly lower costs.