Finance tools
Cost of living calculator — compare cities
This free cost of living calculator helps you compare two U.S. metro areas and see what salary you would need after a move. Choose your current and destination metro, enter gross household income, and get a salary equivalency figure plus a cost of living comparison by category—powered by BEA Regional Price Parities (U.S. average = 100). Search 386 metros, use presets like Austin to San Francisco, or switch to Index compare when you only need percent differences. Export CSV or PDF when you are ready to share results. Data comes from our latest bundled BEA release. There is no signup, and the page does not call government APIs while you calculate. This is not a CPI inflation tool or an international PPP calculator. For net pay after relocation, use the paycheck calculator.
What is cost of living?
Cost of living is what you pay for everyday expenses—housing, food, transportation, health care, and more—in a given area. A cost of living calculator answers a practical question: if you earn a certain salary in one city, what gross income in another city supports a similar standard of living?
This tool uses BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) for U.S. metropolitan areas. Each index is a price level relative to the national average (100), not a shopping receipt or a paycheck after tax. You get an overall gap between metros plus indexes for goods, housing, utilities, and other services.
Use the calculator above for quick answers. It supports learning and relocation planning—it is not tax, immigration, or legal compensation advice.
Salary equivalency
Translate a percent gap into dollars needed in the destination metro.
BEA metro data
386 U.S. metros from public Regional Price Parities tables.
Category indexes
Goods, housing, utilities, and other services—not item-by-item grocery price tables.
CSV/PDF export
Share scenarios with HR, a partner, or your spreadsheet.
Related tools: PPP calculator (countries), inflation calculator (CPI over time), pay raise calculator, annual income calculator, 50/30/20 budget calculator, and rent vs buy calculator.
How to use this cost of living calculator
The calculator supports two modes. Salary equivalency is the default when you have a paycheck in mind. Index compare is faster when you only want percent gaps and category indexes between metros.
Choose your current and destination city (metro)
Select the metropolitan statistical area where you live today and the metro you are considering. Search by city name, or use a relocation preset such as Austin to San Francisco.
Pick salary equivalency or Index compare
Use Salary equivalency when you have gross household income. Use Index compare when you only need percent gaps and category indexes between metros.
Enter gross household income (equivalency mode)
Add annual or monthly pay before tax. Monthly amounts are annualized (× 12) before the equivalency formula runs.
Review equivalency and category breakdown
Read the income needed in the destination metro, the overall percent difference, and BEA indexes for goods, housing, utilities, and other services (U.S. average = 100).
Export CSV or PDF
Download results for relocation planning or pay conversations. Exports include your inputs, indexes, and the BEA data year.
Cost of living index vs CPI inflation
It is easy to confuse cost of living by city with inflation. They answer different questions. Geographic indexes compare places in the same year; CPI tracks how prices change over time in one country.
Geographic COL (this tool)
Compares price levels across U.S. metros in a single BEA vintage using Regional Price Parities. Answers: “How much more expensive is Denver than Dallas right now?”
CPI inflation
Tracks how a national consumption basket changes over time in one place. Answers: “How much did prices rise since last year?” Use our inflation calculator.
COLA at work is usually tied to CPI, not to moving from one metro to another. For a one-time percent raise, see the pay raise calculator. After you settle on gross pay in a new city, stress-test spending with the 50/30/20 rule calculator.
Salary equivalency formula
Salary equivalency
Equivalent income = Current income × (RPPdestination ÷ RPPcurrent)
Use the all items Regional Price Parity for each metro. Monthly pay is annualized first (× 12).
Overall percent difference
% difference = (RPPdestination ÷ RPPcurrent − 1) × 100 — positive means the destination is more expensive overall.
Example: moving from Austin to San Francisco at $75,000 requires roughly $90,831 in San Francisco for the same overall price level (BEA 2023 vintage—use the live calculator for exact rounding). The overall gap is about +21% on all items for that pair.
In Index compare mode, skip income and read only percent differences and category rows—useful when you are comparing metros before you have an offer letter. Category rows use the same ratio logic but do not change the headline dollar equivalency.
BEA data and methodology
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes Regional Price Parities for states and metro areas. Each index is relative to the national average (100). A metro at 112 is about 12% more expensive overall than the US average in that data year—not 12% more than your current city unless you run the ratio in the calculator.
We bundle metro tables from BEA open data (MARPP_MSA). The all items line drives salary equivalency; component lines explain where goods, housing, utilities, or services diverge.
Ordio does not license proprietary C2ER COLI city baskets. Dollar grocery tables on some finance sites use different surveys—you should expect different numbers, not a bug in BEA math.
What the category indexes mean
BEA publishes component indexes for each metro. They are price levels (US average = 100), not dollar grocery receipts. Category rows in the calculator show how each component compares between your two metros.
| BEA component | What it reflects |
|---|---|
| All items | Overall price level — this line drives salary equivalency in the calculator. |
| Goods | Merchandise and other goods — broader than a single grocery SKU table. |
| Housing | Rents and owner-occupied housing costs in the metro average. |
| Utilities | Household fuels and utilities price levels. |
| Other services | Services excluding housing-related rents — healthcare, recreation, and similar. |
Read the difference column as how much higher or lower each component is in the destination metro compared with your current metro—not as extra dollars to add to your budget. When housing shows a wider gap than goods, rent-heavy markets are often driving the overall result.
The calculator shows BEA indexes only, not dollar estimates for individual products. That keeps the math aligned with the official metro tables.
Using results in a relocation offer
Employers sometimes quote a relocation bonus, a geo-adjusted salary, or a hybrid remote policy. Your equivalency number is a neutral benchmark: if gross pay in the new metro is below the calculated income needed, purchasing power may fall unless benefits, commuting costs, or tax rules change the picture.
Remote workers can compare where they live today with a headquarters metro—even when day-to-day pay is not formally “localized.” Payroll and tax withholding still follow employer rules; this page does not model nexus or multi-state withholding.
Hiring teams often save pay scenarios in spreadsheets or HR systems. A CSV or PDF export gives everyone the same BEA-based numbers to discuss—not legal advice, but a clear starting point.
From there, model a percent raise with the pay raise calculator, convert hourly or bonus pay with the annual income calculator, and check take-home pay with the paycheck calculator. Then pressure-test spending with the 50/30/20 rule calculator.
Limitations
Regional Price Parities summarize metro-wide averages. They are the right layer for “Dallas vs Seattle,” not for choosing between two neighborhoods or school districts. Likewise, indexes do not know your household size, debt payments, or lifestyle choices—only average price levels in the data year.
What this tool does not do
No federal/state tax modeling, household-size adjustments, job-title pay surveys, ZIP-level precision, or international country pairs. Metro averages can hide neighborhood rent spreads.
For take-home pay use the paycheck calculator; for country PPP use the PPP calculator; for buying vs renting after a move see rent vs buy.
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Frequently asked questions about this cost of living calculator
How do I calculate my cost of living between two cities?
Pick your current and destination metro in the calculator above. It compares each city’s BEA all items Regional Price Parity index and shows the overall percent gap.
Under the hood, the ratio is RPPdestination ÷ RPPcurrent. A result above 1 means the destination is more expensive overall.
Enter gross income to get salary equivalency—the dollar amount you would need in the new city for a similar price level.
What income do I need to maintain my standard of living?
Multiply your current income by RPPdestination ÷ RPPcurrent using each metro’s all items index.
Example: if the destination is about 21% more expensive overall, a $75,000 salary might need roughly $90,800+ in the new metro before taxes. The calculator applies the exact BEA indexes for your pair.
What is a cost of living index?
A cost of living index shows how expensive a place is compared with a baseline. BEA Regional Price Parities use the U.S. average = 100 anchor.
A metro at 110 is about 10% above the national average price level in that year; 90 is about 10% below. When you move between cities, use the ratio of their indexes—not either index on its own.
How is this different from inflation (CPI)?
CPI measures how a national consumption basket changes over time in one geography. RPP compares price levels across places in the same BEA vintage.
Use the inflation calculator for “prices since 2020.” Use this page for “Austin vs Denver today.”
How is this different from international cost of living?
This calculator covers U.S. metropolitan areas only. It does not convert dollars into foreign currencies or compare New York to London.
For country-to-country purchasing power and PPP-adjusted salaries, use the PPP calculator.
Does the calculator include taxes?
No. Inputs and outputs are gross before tax. State and local income taxes, payroll taxes, and deductions can change take-home pay even when gross equivalency looks fair.
Model net pay with the paycheck calculator or income tax calculator after you pick a destination.
Why are metro averages not the same as ZIP codes?
BEA publishes indexes for metropolitan statistical areas, which can include many cities and suburbs. Downtown rents, exurban commutes, and school districts are not separate rows.
Use results as a relocation benchmark. For a specific lease, compare actual rent quotes—not this index alone.
Which categories are shown?
The breakdown lists goods, housing, utilities, and other services, each as a price-level index (U.S. average = 100).
Salary equivalency still uses the all items line so one headline number reflects the full metro basket.
What is COLA at work vs geographic COL?
COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) at work usually tracks CPI or a fixed percent raise—keeping pay steady as national prices rise.
Geographic COL compares two places. Moving from a low-RPP metro to a high-RPP metro may require a larger gross raise than a standard COLA. Model a one-time percent with the pay raise calculator.
How often is BEA data updated?
BEA typically releases Regional Price Parities once per year, often with a one-year lag. Ordio updates the calculator when we publish a new bundled metro table from BEA open data.
The results panel and exports show the data year so you know which release you are viewing.
Why do my results differ from other websites?
Many finance sites license C2ER COLI surveys with different city baskets and line-item weights. Dollar grocery cells will not match BEA indexes line for line.
This tool follows BEA Regional Price Parities so you can reconcile results with federal tables—not with a proprietary COLI product list.
Is this financial or relocation advice?
No. Results are educational illustrations based on federal price-level indexes. They do not account for your debts, benefits, or family situation.
Confirm job offers, leases, and tax plans with qualified professionals before you move.
What is the salary equivalency formula?
New income = Current income × (RPPdestination ÷ RPPcurrent) using each metro’s all items index.
Overall percent difference uses the same ratio minus one, times 100. Category rows repeat the ratio on each component index.
Does household size change the math?
The calculator does not adjust for household size. BEA indexes reflect average spending patterns in each metro, not your specific family makeup.
If you have children or other dependents, budget beyond the headline equivalency—try the 50/30/20 rule calculator once you pick a gross salary.
How do housing costs factor in?
Housing has its own RPP component, so you can see when rent-heavy metros drive the gap. Headline salary equivalency still uses all items so goods and services count too.
For buy-vs-rent decisions after a move, use the rent vs buy calculator separately.
Can remote workers use this?
Yes—compare the metro where you live with the metro where your employer is based or where they localize pay. That clarifies whether your current salary would feel “equivalent” in another market.
It does not determine tax withholding, benefits eligibility, or whether a company will adjust pay for location.
What is a living wage?
A living wage estimates the minimum income to cover basic needs in an area—often county-level data from MIT or similar sources.
That is different from salary equivalency, which asks what you need to maintain your current standard of living after a move. See MIT’s Living Wage Calculator for the living-wage approach.
How do I use this when negotiating a relocation package?
Export the salary equivalency and category breakdown, then compare the employer’s gross offer to the destination metro number. A one-time relocation bonus does not replace a structurally higher salary if the metro gap is permanent.
Model take-home pay separately with the paycheck calculator—this tool stays pre-tax.
Does cost of living include rent and housing?
Yes. Headline salary equivalency uses the all items index, which embeds housing in the metro average. You also get a separate housing row to see when rents pull one city ahead of another.
That row is still a metro-wide index—not a quote for a specific lease or ZIP code.
How do I compare cost of living by city or state?
By city: choose each metro in the lists above (for example, Austin, TX vs Denver, CO). That is the supported path and matches how BEA publishes metro indexes.
By state: this version compares metros, not whole states. For a rough state view, pair the largest metro in each state (Phoenix vs Miami). BEA also publishes state tables; dedicated state mode may come later.