Compare living expenses across countries, states, and cities. Make informed decisions for relocation or remote work with detailed cost breakdowns.
Here are typical monthly living costs for popular cities where remote workers, expats, and career professionals relocate. Use these as benchmarks when planning your move.
A cost of living calculator is a tool that compares the expenses of living in different cities, states, or countries. It analyzes housing, transportation, food, healthcare, taxes, and lifestyle costs to help you understand how much money you need to maintain your current standard of living in a new location. Our calculator provides detailed breakdowns and equivalent salary recommendations for relocations.
To compare living costs: (1) Choose your current city and target cities, (2) Enter your household size and lifestyle preferences, (3) Our tool analyzes housing, transportation, food, healthcare, taxes, and other expenses, (4) Review the cost breakdowns and equivalent salary requirements for each city. Key tip: Don't just compare gross salaries—factor in taxes, healthcare costs, and purchasing power.
The biggest factors are: (1) Housing costs (rent/mortgage can be 30-50% of expenses), (2) Healthcare and insurance (varies dramatically between countries), (3) Taxes (income, sales, property taxes), (4) Transportation (car ownership vs. public transit), and (5) Geographic location (urban vs. suburban, coastal vs. inland). In expensive cities like NYC or London, housing alone can be 2-3x higher than mid-sized cities.
It depends on the cost difference. Moving from a low-cost city (e.g., Austin) to a high-cost city (e.g., San Francisco) may require a 40-60% salary increase to maintain the same standard of living. Moving internationally adds complexity—factor in currency exchange, tax treaties, healthcare systems, and visa costs. Use our calculator to get personalized salary equivalent recommendations based on your lifestyle.
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