About

What is this tool?

We help you estimate the salary needed to maintain a similar lifestyle when moving between U.S. locations. Enter your current salary, pick an origin and destination (state & county), choose a household, and we’ll show the salary needed, the % change, the monthly equivalents, and which categories drive the difference.

Methodology & Sources

• Data was collected and based on the Family Budget Calculator by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). It was based off a snapshot from data collected in 2024-2025. It has an annual expected update frequency.
• We calculate the salary needed with the following formula: salary_needed = salary_current * (COL_TARGET / COL_BASE) where COL_TARGET is the cost of living (COL) calculation of the target location and COL_base is the COL calculation for current location. COL is found with the formula: COL = FOOD + TRANSPORTATION + HEALTHCARE + EDUCATION + TAXES
• color code: red -> negative (higher), green -> positive (lower)
• Percentage breakdown of previous and current:percentage_change = (current_item - target_item) / current_item * 100

Limitations

Numbers run on averages.We don’t forecast future inflation; numbers reflect the latest data period only. Neighborhood variation; taxes simplified for county-wide.

Attribution

Economic Policy Institute — Family Budget Calculator & Technical Documentation.

Housing
Housing costs are based on the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The data represented shows the rental cost at the 40th percentile at a given area for privately owned, rental unit. Studio apartments were paired with 1 adult families, 1 Bedroom apartments with 2 Adult families, and 2 bedroom apartments for families with 1 or 2 children.

Food
Food cost are based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food plan. Numbers are normalized to each area using weights from Feeding America and the Meal Gap data. This number assumes most food is bought at a local grocery store and then prepared at home.

Childcare
Child care expenses are based off the combined costs of center-based child care and family-based care for 4-year olds and school-aged children. For families with 1 child, data assumes the child is 4 years old. For families of 2 children, we assume the additional child is 8 years old respectively.

Transport
Transportation costs are a combination of auto ownership, auto use, and public transit. Data is collected from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT).

Healthcare
Health care expenses come from an average of insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The data assumes families purchase the lowest cost available insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act. Data comes from Kaiser Family foundation and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Other Costs
This cost is calculated through the average spending of categories deemed necessary by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. These include apparel, personal care, household supplies, reading materials, and school supplies.

Taxes
Taxes are calculated from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The number weighs in personal income tax, state income tax, federal Social Security, and Medicare taxes.

FAQ

• Do you include taxes? We estimate tax burden but our estimates are based on averages county-wide.
• How current is the data? See the “Last updated” date on the Methodology page.
• How does this tool differ? Our goal is parity for your current lifestyle (keep roughly the same standard of living), not a minimum “living wage.”.
• What data is included? Housing, food, transportation, healthcare, childcare, other necessities, and taxes.

Note: Not financial advice