Free tool · official BEA price data

Cost of Living Calculator

How much do you need to earn in a new city to keep the same standard of living? This calculator compares 57 US metro areas using the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's official price-level data, and it does what most cost-of-living calculators skip: it accounts for the difference in state and federal income tax. No signup.

Your salary ($ per year)

Where you live now

Where you're moving

Filing status

Salary you need in San Francisco

$129,501

to match the after-tax lifestyle of $100,000 in Austin. Prices are 17.8% higher, and CA taxes differ from TX.

	Austin	San Francisco
Price level (US = 100)	98.1	115.6
Equivalent gross salary	$100,000	$129,501
Take-home pay	$79,180	$93,305
Prices onlyWhat a tax-blind calculator would tell you	$100,000	$117,839

Taxes change the answer by $11,662. Price-only calculators would tell you $117,839, but CA's state income tax compared with TX's mean you need more.

Have an offer in San Francisco? Compare it →

Cost of living by metro area, 2024

Regional Price Parities compare the price of the same basket of goods, services and housing across metro areas. 100 is the US average, so 115 means prices are 15% higher than average and 90 means 10% lower. Housing drives most of the gap.

#	Metro area	Price level	vs US average	What $100K here is worth at US-average prices
1	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA	115.6	+15.6%	$86,505
2	Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL	114.2	+14.2%	$87,566
3	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	113.6	+13.6%	$88,028
4	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY	112.6	+12.6%	$88,810
5	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	111.9	+11.9%	$89,366
6	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	111.1	+11.1%	$90,009
7	Urban Honolulu, HI	111.0	+11.0%	$90,090
8	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	110.4	+10.4%	$90,580
9	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC	108.9	+8.9%	$91,827
10	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA	108.3	+8.3%	$92,336
11	Sacramento-Roseville, CA	106.7	+6.7%	$93,721
12	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	106.4	+6.4%	$93,985
13	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO	105.8	+5.8%	$94,518
14	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR	105.4	+5.4%	$94,877
15	Boulder, CO	105.2	+5.2%	$95,057
16	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN	104.8	+4.8%	$95,420
17	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	104.5	+4.5%	$95,694
18	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL	103.6	+3.6%	$96,525
19	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	103.3	+3.3%	$96,805
20	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	103.1	+3.1%	$96,993
21	Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT	102.7	+2.7%	$97,371
22	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA	102.6	+2.6%	$97,466
23	Providence-Warwick, RI	101.8	+1.8%	$98,232
24	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	101.4	+1.4%	$98,619
25	Salt Lake City, UT	100.9	+0.9%	$99,108
26	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	100.9	+0.9%	$99,108
27	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	100.3	+0.3%	$99,701
28	Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV	100.2	+0.2%	$99,800
29	Atlanta-Sandy Springs, GA	100.1	+0.1%	$99,900
30	Jacksonville, FL	99.5	−0.5%	$100,503
31	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	98.6	−1.4%	$101,420
32	Boise City, ID	98.4	−1.6%	$101,626
33	Raleigh-Cary, NC	98.2	−1.8%	$101,833
34	Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX	98.1	−1.9%	$101,937
35	Richmond, VA	97.9	−2.1%	$102,145
36	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA	97.9	−2.1%	$102,145
37	Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	97.6	−2.4%	$102,459
38	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC	97.3	−2.7%	$102,775
39	Madison, WI	97.3	−2.7%	$102,775
40	Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	96.9	−3.1%	$103,199
41	Tucson, AZ	96.9	−3.1%	$103,199
42	Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, TN	96.3	−3.7%	$103,842
43	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	95.8	−4.2%	$104,384
44	Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN	95.7	−4.3%	$104,493
45	Albuquerque, NM	95.5	−4.5%	$104,712
46	Columbus, OH	95.5	−4.5%	$104,712
47	Cincinnati, OH	95.4	−4.6%	$104,822
48	St. Louis, MO	95.1	−4.9%	$105,152
49	Pittsburgh, PA	94.7	−5.3%	$105,597
50	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	94.7	−5.3%	$105,597
51	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY	93.1	−6.9%	$107,411
52	New Orleans-Metairie, LA	92.6	−7.4%	$107,991
53	Kansas City, MO	92.5	−7.5%	$108,108
54	Memphis, TN	92.2	−7.8%	$108,460
55	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE	91.9	−8.1%	$108,814
56	Birmingham-Hoover, AL	91.6	−8.4%	$109,170
57	Oklahoma City, OK	90.4	−9.6%	$110,619

Guide & methodology

How the cost of living calculator works

Researched & reviewed by Himanshu Gauba · Last updated November 4, 2026 · How we research

Where the numbers come from

Price levels come from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP), the federal government's official measure of how much prices differ between places. An RPP compares the cost of the same basket of goods, services and rent in each metro area against the national average of 100. The figures here are the all-items RPPs for 2024, the latest year BEA has published.

BEA data is more conservative than many commercial cost-of-living indexes. Those often weight housing more heavily or use city-centre prices only, which is why they can show San Francisco at 160+ when BEA shows about 116. BEA measures the whole metro area and what residents actually spend, so it suits salary comparisons.

Why taxes change the answer

A simple calculator multiplies your salary by the ratio of the two price levels. That keeps your gross pay constant in real terms, but you spend take-home pay, not gross pay. Moving from a state with no income tax to one with a high state tax means you need a bigger raise than prices alone suggest. Moving the other way means you need less.

This calculator works on take-home pay. It estimates your 2026 take-home in your current metro, adjusts it for the price difference, then solves for the gross salary that produces that take-home in the new metro after its federal and state taxes.

Target take-home  = take-home(now) × RPP(new) ÷ RPP(now)
Salary needed     = the gross G where take-home(G, new state) = target
Prices only       = salary × RPP(new) ÷ RPP(now)

Worked examples

Austin to San Francisco on $100,000: prices are 17.8% higher, so a prices-only calculator says $117,839. Texas has no state income tax and California does, so the salary you actually need is $129,501.

New York to Austin on $150,000: prices are 12.9% lower, and you stop paying New York state tax. You can accept $119,081 and keep the same lifestyle, compared with $130,684 on prices alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate the cost of living difference between two cities?

Divide the destination's price index by your current city's index and multiply by your salary. With BEA Regional Price Parities, moving from a metro at 98 to one at 115 means prices are about 17% higher. To be precise, apply the ratio to take-home pay and then work back to a gross salary using the new state's taxes, which is what this calculator does.

What is the most expensive metro area in the US?

Among the metros in this calculator, San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley has the highest 2024 price level at 115.6, followed by Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles. Among states, BEA ranks California, Hawaii and New Jersey highest.

How much do I need to earn in San Francisco?

To match $100,000 in Austin you need about $129,501 in the San Francisco metro once California state tax is included, versus $117,839 on prices alone. Use the calculator with your own salary and current city.

Is BEA cost of living data accurate?

It is the official federal measure and covers the whole metro area, including rent, goods and services. It lags by about a year and averages across neighbourhoods, so a city-centre apartment can cost more than the metro average implies.

How are state taxes estimated?

With the same engine as our salary calculator: 2026 federal brackets and FICA, exact rates for no-tax and flat-tax states, and a 5% placeholder for states with graduated brackets. Multi-state metros are taxed as the principal city's state. Local income taxes, such as New York City's, are not included.

Sources & limitations

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by Metro Area, 2024 (via FRED). All-items Regional Price Parities, US = 100.
Tax: 2026 IRS brackets and standard deduction (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), SSA 2026 wage base, state flat rates per the Tax Foundation.
Limitations: metro averages, no local income taxes, and graduated-bracket states use a 5% placeholder rate. Treat results as estimates.

Results are educational estimates, not financial advice. See our editorial policy and disclaimer.

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