The cost of living varies dramatically across US cities. A $120,000 salary in San Francisco is not equivalent to $120,000 in Austin or Columbus — the same income buys very different lifestyles depending on housing costs, food prices, transportation, healthcare, and utilities in each location. This C...
CoL index: 94.2 (NYC = 100)
CoL index: 58.0 (NYC = 100)
EQUIVALENT SALARY IN AUSTIN
$73,885
SALARY DIFFERENCE
−$46,115
PURCHASING POWER
+62.4%
Keeping your $120,000 salary, you gain 62.4% more purchasing power in Austin.
EQUIVALENT SALARY IN AUSTIN
$73,885
62.4% more purchasing power if you keep $120,000
COST OF LIVING INDEX COMPARISON
NYC = 100 baseline
MONTHLY COST BY CATEGORY
Live diagram · updates as you type
| CATEGORY | San Francisco | Austin | DIFFERENCE | INDEX RATIO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing & Rent | $4,205/mo | $1,997/mo | −$2,208 | 0.47× |
| Food & Groceries | $728/mo | $496/mo | −$232 | 0.68× |
| Transportation | $241/mo | $162/mo | −$79 | 0.67× |
| Healthcare | $420/mo | $288/mo | −$132 | 0.69× |
| Utilities | $236/mo | $144/mo | −$92 | 0.61× |
| Misc & Personal | $552/mo | $348/mo | −$204 | 0.63× |
| TOTAL MONTHLY | $6,382/mo | $3,435/mo | −$2,947 | 0.62× |
Monthly costs are estimates for a single person based on NYC baseline costs scaled by city index. Actual costs vary by lifestyle and neighbourhood. Index source: Numbeo / C2ER 2024–2025.
Enter your current annual salary — this is your gross income before taxes in your current city.
Select your current city from the dropdown — this is where you live and earn your salary now.
Select your target city — the city you are considering moving to or comparing against.
The calculator instantly shows the equivalent salary you would need in the target city to maintain your current standard of living, your purchasing power change if you keep the same salary, and a full category breakdown of monthly cost differences.
Use the Swap Cities button to instantly reverse the comparison — see what moving back would look like.
Example: Priya earns $150,000 in San Francisco (CoL index 94.2) and is considering a move to Austin (CoL index 58.0). Equivalent salary in Austin = $150,000 × (58.0 ÷ 94.2) = $92,356. If Priya keeps her $150,000 salary but moves to Austin, her purchasing power increases by (94.2 ÷ 58.0 − 1) × 100 = 62.4%. Housing alone drops from ~$3,200/month to ~$1,997/month — a saving of $1,203/month or $14,436/year.
| NAME | FORMULA | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Equivalent Salary | Salary_A × (CoL_Index_B ÷ CoL_Index_A) | Salary needed in City B to match City A purchasing power |
| Purchasing Power | (CoL_Index_A ÷ CoL_Index_B − 1) × 100 | % change in purchasing power if salary stays the same |
| Category Cost | NYC_Baseline_Cost × (City_Category_Index ÷ 100) | Estimated monthly cost for a category in a given city |
| Index Ratio | City_B_Category_Index ÷ City_A_Category_Index | How much more (>1) or less (<1) a category costs in City B vs City A |
Last updated: April 29, 2026 · Index data: Numbeo / C2ER 2024–2025 · Formula verified by EagleCalculator team · Eagle-eyed accuracy for every calculation.