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Free Cost of Living Calculator: Compare Cities & the Salary You Need

A cost of living calculator compares average prices in two places and tells you what salary you would need in the new place to keep the same standard of living. This one uses the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 2024 Regional Price Parities for every U.S. metro area and state.

BEA 2024 regional price parities

Quick answer

$100,000 in Austin, TX buys about the same as $110,401 in Boston, MA, based on 2024 prices. The most expensive U.S. metro is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (115.6) and the least expensive is Monroe, LA (83.6), where the U.S. average is 100.

Compare cost of living

Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored.

Pick your metro area, or your state if you live outside a metro area.

How are you paid?

Your current gross pay per year, before taxes.

Your result

You'd need only about $76,992 in Austin, TX to match $85,000 in Boston, MA, so you could earn about $8,008 less and keep the same standard of living.

Equivalent salary

$76,992

per year in Austin, TX, versus $85,000 now.

Overall prices

-9.4%

All-items RPP 98.1 vs 108.3 (U.S. = 100).

Price differences by category

Austin, TX compared with Boston, MA. Plus means higher prices, minus means lower.

  • All items-9.4%

    9.4% lower than Boston, MA (index 98.1 vs 108.3)

  • Goods-5.9%

    5.9% lower than Boston, MA (index 93.8 vs 99.7)

  • Housing (rent)-18.9%

    18.9% lower than Boston, MA (index 120.4 vs 148.4)

  • Utilities-44.9%

    44.9% lower than Boston, MA (index 82.0 vs 148.8)

  • Other services-7.1%

    7.1% lower than Boston, MA (index 96.2 vs 103.6)

Goods:
Things you buy, such as food, clothing, household items, and gasoline.
Housing (rent):
Based on rents. It does not reflect mortgage payments or home purchase prices.
Utilities:
Electricity, natural gas, water, and similar household utility services.
Other services:
Everything else people pay for as a service, such as healthcare, childcare, education, recreation, and personal services.

BEA does not publish how much each category weighs in a typical budget in this data, so these are price gaps, not dollar amounts.

Side-by-side comparison

Equivalent salary in each place compared with Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (metro)
PlaceAll-items RPPEquivalent salaryDifference
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (metro) (now)108.3$85,000Baseline
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX (metro)98.1$76,992-$8,008 (-9.4%)

Limitations. Regional price parities compare average price levels in 2024. They do not include income or property taxes, and your own budget can differ, for example if you own a home with a fixed mortgage. Metro values cover the whole metro area, and areas outside metros are only available through the statewide value.

Where your salary goes furthest

The salary that matches $85,000 in Boston, MA, in the 10 cheapest and 10 most expensive metro areas (2024 all-items RPP).

10 least expensive metros

  1. 1. Monroe, LA (83.6)$65,632
  2. 2. Eagle Pass, TX (83.8)$65,796
  3. 3. Dothan, AL (83.8)$65,818
  4. 4. Texarkana, TX (84.0)$65,958
  5. 5. Enid, OK (84.3)$66,160
  6. 6. Hammond, LA (84.5)$66,310
  7. 7. Shreveport, LA (84.8)$66,550
  8. 8. Florence, AL (84.8)$66,590
  9. 9. Houma, LA (85.1)$66,815
  10. 10. Wildwood, FL (85.4)$67,067

10 most expensive metros

  1. 1. San Francisco, CA (115.6)$90,768
  2. 2. Miami, FL (114.2)$89,623
  3. 3. Los Angeles, CA (113.6)$89,161
  4. 4. New York, NY (112.6)$88,374
  5. 5. Napa, CA (112.6)$88,367
  6. 6. San Diego, CA (111.9)$87,843
  7. 7. Seattle, WA (111.1)$87,251
  8. 8. Urban Honolulu, HI (111.0)$87,116
  9. 9. Oxnard, CA (110.5)$86,781
  10. 10. San Jose, CA (110.4)$86,693

How the cost of living comparison works

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes Regional Price Parities (RPPs) that measure each state's and metro area's average price level against the national average of 100. This calculator uses the 2024 values released February 19, 2026 for 387 metro areas and 50 states plus DC.

Equivalent salary = current salary x (target all-items RPP / current all-items RPP)

Hourly pay

Hourly rates convert to a yearly amount at your hours per week times 52 weeks. The equivalent hourly rate uses the same price ratio, rounded to the cent.

Categories

BEA also publishes price levels for goods, housing (based on rents), utilities, and other services such as healthcare, childcare, education, and recreation. The calculator shows how each one differs, but the equivalent salary uses the all-items value.

How to compare cost of living between two cities

  1. 1. Pick where you live now

    Search for your current metro area, or choose your state if you live outside a metro area.

  2. 2. Pick where you might move

    Choose the target metro area or state. Add up to two more places to compare three side by side.

  3. 3. Enter your pay

    Type your annual salary, or switch to hourly and enter your rate and usual hours per week.

  4. 4. Read the equivalent salary

    See the salary you would need in each place to match your current standard of living, plus the price gap for goods, rent, utilities, and other services.

  5. 5. Share or save the comparison

    Copy a link that reopens the same comparison, or copy a plain text summary.

Adjusting a nanny or caregiver's pay for a new city

Families who move, or who hire a nanny, caregiver, or housekeeper in a new city, can use the same ratio to set a fair starting point for a household employee's pay.

  • Switch to hourly, enter the current rate and weekly hours, and pick the old and new locations. The equivalent hourly rate is the current rate times the RPP ratio.
  • Check the result against the state and local minimum wage in the new location, and use whichever is higher.
  • Childcare and in-home care rates vary from place to place more than the overall price index does, so treat the result as a floor and compare it with local market rates before you make an offer.

Check local market pay with the nanny pay rate calculator, weigh care options with the nanny vs daycare cost calculator, or turn an annual offer into an hourly rate with the salary to hourly calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How is cost of living calculated?

This calculator uses the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPPs), which measure how average prices in each state and metro area compare with the national average (U.S. = 100). The salary you need is your current salary times the target area's all-items RPP divided by your current area's RPP. All figures use 2024 data.

What salary do I need to move to a more expensive city?

Multiply your salary by the ratio of the two areas' price levels. For example, $100,000 in Austin, TX (RPP 98.1) is worth about $110,401 in Boston, MA (RPP 108.3). Then check taxes and your own rent or mortgage, which can move the number further.

What is a regional price parity?

A regional price parity (RPP) is a BEA index of the average price level in an area relative to the U.S. average of 100. An RPP of 110 means prices are about 10% higher than the national average; 90 means about 10% lower. BEA publishes an all-items RPP plus goods, housing (rents), utilities, and other services.

Which U.S. metro area is the most and least expensive?

In BEA's 2024 data, the most expensive metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at 115.6, about 15.6% above the national average. The least expensive is Monroe, LA at 83.6, about 16.4% below it. Among states, California (110.7) is highest and Arkansas (86.9) is lowest.

Does this cost of living calculator include taxes?

No. Regional price parities measure prices for goods and services only, not federal, state, or local income taxes or property taxes. Run each salary through a take-home pay calculator to compare what you keep after taxes.

Official sources

All price levels come from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities release last updated February 19, 2026, which added 2024 statistics.

Estimates use BEA Regional Price Parities for 2024 (released February 19, 2026). They compare average price levels and are not financial advice. Your own costs depend on your housing, household, and spending.

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