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 2023. 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.

Data was formatted by Asaniczka (https://www.kaggle.com/asaniczka)

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