Cost of Living Calculator: Compare Salaries by City
If you earn a salary in one city, what would you need to earn in another to live the same way? Compare 387 U.S. metro areas and all 50 states using official price data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
2024 price levels, the latest available. Before taxes; compare take-home pay with the paycheck calculator.
Salary needed in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
$61.4K
Prices are 2.4% higherHousing is 21.2% higher
To keep the lifestyle $60K pays for in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, you'd need about $61.4K in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Put the other way, earning $60K after the move would feel like about $58.6K where you live now.
Price levels (U.S. average = 100), 2024
Now
Moving to
Difference
Housing (rent)
121.2
146.9
21.2% higher
Goods
95.0
101.0
6.2% higher
Utilities
93.3
87.9
5.9% lower
Other services
104.0
99.4
4.4% lower
All items
103.3
105.8
2.4% higher
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities (2024). Housing reflects rents. Taxes aren't included.
02 — Rankings
Most and least expensive cities
Overall price levels for U.S. metro areas in 2024 (U.S. average = 100), with the salary that matches $60,000 at the national average.
10 most expensive metro areas
All items
Housing
= $60k U.S.
1. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
115.6
194.7
$69.4K
2. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
114.2
155.6
$68.5K
3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
113.6
170.4
$68.1K
4. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
112.6
148.6
$67.5K
5. Napa, CA
112.6
197.4
$67.5K
6. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
111.9
179.3
$67.1K
7. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
111.1
151.3
$66.7K
8. Urban Honolulu, HI
111.0
135.5
$66.6K
9. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
110.5
171.1
$66.3K
10. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
110.4
211.9
$66.3K
10 least expensive metro areas
All items
Housing
= $60k U.S.
387. Monroe, LA
83.6
42.8
$50.2K
386. Eagle Pass, TX
83.8
53.7
$50.3K
385. Dothan, AL
83.8
46.9
$50.3K
384. Texarkana, TX-AR
84.0
49.9
$50.4K
383. Enid, OK
84.3
51.4
$50.6K
382. Hammond, LA
84.5
48.2
$50.7K
381. Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
84.8
52.3
$50.9K
380. Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
84.8
47.7
$50.9K
379. Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA
85.1
51.3
$51.1K
378. Wildwood-The Villages, FL
85.4
51.7
$51.3K
03 — By state
Cost of living by state
Every state and Washington, D.C., ranked from most to least expensive. Statewide figures average cities and rural areas.
Cost of living index by state, 2024
State
All items
Housing
Goods
Compared with U.S.
1. California
110.7
154.3
106.1
10.7% above average
2. Hawaii
110.0
125.3
111.6
10.0% above average
3. District of Columbia
109.9
155.0
106.5
9.9% above average
4. New Jersey
108.8
134.3
107.1
8.8% above average
5. New York
107.9
122.2
107.3
7.9% above average
6. Washington
107.0
126.0
104.4
7.0% above average
7. Massachusetts
105.8
128.1
98.8
5.8% above average
8. Maryland
105.0
121.1
102.5
5.0% above average
9. New Hampshire
104.2
114.9
98.6
4.2% above average
10. Connecticut
103.6
117.0
97.3
3.6% above average
11. Florida
103.4
122.1
98.1
3.4% above average
12. Oregon
103.4
108.6
105.3
3.4% above average
13. Colorado
103.1
127.4
98.7
3.1% above average
14. Alaska
102.4
93.8
106.3
2.4% above average
15. Rhode Island
102.3
105.6
97.2
2.3% above average
16. Virginia
101.1
106.8
100.4
1.1% above average
17. Arizona
100.7
106.8
95.4
0.7% above average
18. Nevada
100.0
114.1
96.3
U.S. average
19. Illinois
100.0
93.9
103.8
U.S. average
20. Delaware
99.8
102.0
96.2
0.2% below average
21. Utah
98.9
107.8
96.4
1.1% below average
22. Minnesota
98.6
91.3
100.5
1.4% below average
23. Vermont
98.0
86.5
97.3
2.0% below average
24. Pennsylvania
97.6
85.1
99.4
2.4% below average
25. Texas
97.1
96.5
98.1
2.9% below average
26. Maine
97.0
78.9
97.2
3.0% below average
27. Georgia
96.3
88.7
98.9
3.7% below average
28. Michigan
96.2
82.3
96.0
3.8% below average
29. Idaho
95.5
90.0
96.3
4.5% below average
30. Montana
94.6
84.6
96.0
5.4% below average
31. North Carolina
94.3
81.4
96.6
5.7% below average
32. Wisconsin
94.1
79.3
94.3
5.9% below average
33. South Carolina
93.7
80.5
96.3
6.3% below average
34. Indiana
93.3
73.9
95.5
6.7% below average
35. Ohio
92.8
73.0
93.7
7.2% below average
36. Wyoming
92.7
71.1
95.4
7.3% below average
37. New Mexico
92.2
73.6
96.1
7.8% below average
38. Tennessee
91.9
79.1
96.2
8.1% below average
39. Missouri
90.8
69.9
96.3
9.2% below average
40. Kentucky
90.2
64.3
96.0
9.8% below average
41. Nebraska
90.1
75.2
94.1
9.9% below average
42. Kansas
90.1
71.2
94.0
9.9% below average
43. West Virginia
89.5
54.2
96.5
10.5% below average
44. North Dakota
89.0
71.4
95.7
11.0% below average
45. Alabama
88.8
61.8
96.4
11.2% below average
46. South Dakota
88.6
67.6
95.5
11.4% below average
47. Louisiana
88.2
63.1
93.7
11.8% below average
48. Oklahoma
87.8
62.8
93.8
12.2% below average
49. Iowa
87.8
65.3
93.7
12.2% below average
50. Mississippi
87.0
56.5
96.2
13.0% below average
51. Arkansas
86.9
58.2
93.6
13.1% below average
04 — How it works
How the cost of living comparison works
What the numbers mean, where they come from, and what they leave out.
The formula
Salary needed = current salary × (new area price level ÷ current area price level)
Example: moving from Phoenix (price level 103.3) to Denver (105.8) on $75,000: $75,000 × 105.8 ÷ 103.3 = about $76.8K.
Where the data comes from
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) publishes Regional Price Parities: how expensive each state and metro area is compared with the national average (100). They cover everything households buy, from rent and groceries to utilities and services. This page uses the 2024 figures, released February 19, 2026, the latest available.
Housing makes the biggest difference
Prices for goods vary less from place to place than housing does. In San Francisco, overall prices are 15.6% above average but housing is 94% above. Outside metro areas, housing averages 40% below the national level.
What it doesn't include
Taxes aren't included: state and local income taxes can widen or narrow the gap, so check take-home pay in the paycheck calculator. Prices are area averages, so a pricey neighborhood or a cheap one can differ a lot. Housing is based on rents, and prices have changed since 2024, though how areas compare with each other usually changes slowly.
05 — FAQ
Cost of living questions
How do I compare the cost of living between two cities?
Divide the new city's price level by your current city's and multiply by your salary. The calculator above does this for any two of 387 metro areas or 50 states, and shows housing, goods, utilities and services separately.
What state has the highest cost of living?
California, at 110.7 (10.7% above average), followed by Hawaii and District of Columbia. The most expensive metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (115.6).
What state has the lowest cost of living?
Arkansas, at 86.9 (13.1% below average), followed by Mississippi and Iowa. The least expensive metro area is Monroe, LA (83.6).
How much do I need to make in San Francisco?
To match $60,000 at the national average, about $69.4K in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area, before taxes. Housing there costs far more than average, so renters feel the difference most.
Should I ask for a raise when I relocate?
The equivalent salary is a good starting point for negotiating. Remember it covers prices, not taxes, and your employer may set pay by location differently. The raise calculator shows what a raise is worth after taxes.
How current is this data?
It's BEA's 2024 data, released February 19, 2026. BEA publishes these figures once a year, about a year after the year they measure. We'll update the calculator when new figures are released.
Before-tax comparison. Equivalent salaries use BEA price levels for all goods and services. They don't account for taxes, your household, or your neighborhood.
Educational estimates, not financial advice. Nothing you enter is stored.