Free US Cost of Living Map & Calculator
WatchPennies Compare Cost of Living Across U.S. Counties
WatchPennies is a free, no-signup cost of living calculator and interactive U.S. county map. Explore how total annual expenses change when you move between counties, and see which categories such as housing, food, transportation, taxes, healthcare, or childcare, drive the biggest share of your budget.
Choose your household type (for example, 1 adult and 0 children) and compare multiple counties side-by-side. Instantly visualize a category-by-category cost breakdown, view median income benchmarks, estimate a standard cost of living in each area.
Privacy first: WatchPennies runs entirely in your browser. Calculations are client-side, we do not store personal data, and you never need to create an account or share an email address.
Use the Cost of Living Map
— Instantly compare U.S. county costs of living
About WatchPennies
WatchPennies is a free cost of living comparison tool for U.S. counties. It’s built to help you quickly answer questions like: “How much more would it cost to live in this county?” or “Is housing or childcare the main driver of higher expenses?” Whether you’re relocating, evaluating a job offer, or just curious, WatchPennies makes it easy to compare locations in a visual, intuitive way.
How WatchPennies Works
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Select your household
Choose the number of adults and children to match your situation.
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Select Counties
Search by name or click directly on the interactive D3 map to add counties to your comparison list.
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Review category breakdowns
For each county, see annual estimated costs for housing, food, transportation, taxes, healthcare, childcare, and other necessities, plus view median income when you hover over a county.
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Compare side-by-side
Sort and filter locations to quickly spot where your money goes the furthest and which categories change the most.
Free, Private, and No Sign-Up Required
WatchPennies is 100% free to use. There are no paywalls, no accounts, and no email forms. All calculations and visualizations are performed client-side in your browser, so your inputs stay on your device. We do not collect or store personal data.You can explore cost of living differences anonymously and safely.
Use the built-in budget tool to create a simple spending template and see which categories you currently spend the most on. Then compare those categories against different counties to understand how a move might affect your real-world budget. Results are directional. Its meant for planning purposes only and they are not individualized financial advice.
The interactive cost of living map lets you visually compare neighboring counties to see if moving across a border could reduce housing, taxes, or other key expenses while maintaining similar access to jobs, schools, or amenities.
Interactive U.S. Cost of Living Map
Pick your current and target county or state from the map or search bar. Choose your household (e.g., 1 adult · 0 children) to see a tailored cost profile. Quickly add and remove counties to build a comparison list that matches your real relocation options. The application's interative map and charts update based on your actions.
Detailed Category Breakdown & Median Income
Explore charts that show how much of your annual budget goes to housing, food, transportation, taxes, healthcare, childcare, and other costs. Sort counties by category, compare bar charts, and reference median income to understand affordability in each location.
Compare Costs for Relocation Decisions
View location-to-location equivalents and identify the top cost movers when moving between counties. Use WatchPennies to sanity-check job offers, shortlist new places to live, or simply understand how far your salary could go in a different part of the country.