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 2025-2026. 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 Department of Housing and Urban Development data. The estimate uses 40th percentile rent for privately owned rental units in each area. Studio apartments are paired with one-adult households, one-bedroom apartments with two-adult households, and two-bedroom apartments with households that have children.

Food
Food costs are based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food plans. Numbers are normalized to each area using Feeding America and Meal Gap data. This estimate assumes most food is bought at local grocery stores and prepared at home.

Childcare
Childcare expenses are based on combined costs for center-based care and family-based care for 4-year-olds and school-aged children. For households with one child, the estimate assumes the child is 4 years old. For households with two children, the estimate assumes the second child is 8 years old.

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
Healthcare expenses come from average insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The estimate assumes families purchase the lowest-cost available insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act. Data comes from Kaiser Family Foundation and the 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