What does an index of 100 mean?

It means that city is the reference point the index is scaled against — on Numbeo's index, that's New York City. A city scored at 140 is roughly 40% more expensive than the reference city; a city scored at 70 is roughly 30% cheaper.

Does this calculator include taxes?

No. It's a pure cost-of-living ratio calculation. Income tax rates, especially for interstate or international moves, can differ substantially and would need to be checked separately — this tool doesn't model take-home pay after tax.

Does this handle currency conversion for an international move?

No — both the input salary and the output figures are in the same currency. For a move between countries, convert the result using a current exchange rate afterward, since this calculator doesn't fetch or apply one.

What if my destination's index is lower than my current city's?

The calculator still works — it shows the equivalent (lower) salary needed and reports the difference as a percentage cheaper rather than more expensive, along with what your unchanged salary would be worth in the pricier city (more than before, in that direction).

Should I use the index that includes rent or excludes rent?

Use whichever one you're consistent with for both cities. Housing is often the single biggest driver of cost-of-living differences, so an index that includes rent (like Numbeo's Cost of Living Plus Rent Index) usually gives a more complete comparison than one that excludes it.

Is the 'equivalent salary needed' the raise I should ask for?

It's a reasonable starting anchor for a relocation-pay conversation, but employers weigh other factors too (market rate for the role, cost-of-labor vs. cost-of-living data, relocation packages) — treat this as one input, not a final number.

How accurate are cost-of-living indices in general?

They're built from sampled prices and averaged baskets, so they approximate typical costs rather than your specific spending pattern. Two people in the same city can have very different real costs of living depending on housing choice, family size, and lifestyle.

Can I use this for hourly wages instead of annual salary?

Yes — the calculation is a straight ratio, so entering an hourly wage instead of an annual salary produces an equivalent hourly wage in the destination; just be consistent about which pay period you use.

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Cost of Living Comparison Calculator

Salary needed in a new city to match your current standard of living.

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Last reviewed 2026-08-29

About the Cost of Living Comparison Calculator

Compares purchasing power between two locations using a cost-of-living index you supply, and calculates the salary you'd need in a destination city to maintain the same standard of living as your current salary.

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How to use it

Enter your Current annual salary.
Enter the Current city cost-of-living index — a number from a source like Numbeo, where a base city (Numbeo uses New York City) equals 100.
Enter the Destination city cost-of-living index on that same scale.
Read the equivalent salary needed, the percentage cost-of-living difference, and what your unchanged salary would be worth back home, in the result panel.

Formula

Equivalent salary needed = current salary × (destination index ÷ current-city index)
Cost-of-living difference (%) = (destination index ÷ current-city index − 1) × 100
Purchasing power of an unchanged salary after moving = current salary ÷ (destination index ÷ current-city index)

Worked example

A $75,000 salary moving from a city with a cost-of-living index of 100 to one with an index of 140 (40% pricier) needs $105,000 to maintain the same standard of living. If the salary stayed at $75,000 after the move, it would carry the purchasing power of only about $53,571 back in the current city.

Categories commonly included in cost-of-living indices (e.g., Numbeo)

Categories commonly included in cost-of-living indices (e.g., Numbeo)
Category	What it typically covers
Rent	Apartment rental prices by size and location — often published as a separate Rent Index
Groceries	Staple food and household items from supermarkets
Restaurants	Meals and drinks eaten out
Transportation	Public transit fares, gasoline, and vehicle-related costs
Utilities	Electricity, heating, water, and basic internet
Personal care & other	Clothing, personal care items, and miscellaneous goods and services

Interpreting your result

This calculator has no live cost-of-living database — the two index numbers are entirely user-supplied. A common source is Numbeo's Cost of Living Index, which sets one reference city (Numbeo uses New York City) at 100 and scores every other city relative to it from a weighted basket of prices (rent, groceries, restaurants, transportation, utilities, and more), built from user-submitted price data. Different sources (Numbeo, Mercer, ECA International, government statistical agencies) use different baskets, weights, and reference cities, so the same two cities can carry different index numbers depending on where you look — pick one source and use it consistently for both locations. This tool also doesn't model taxes, currency conversion, or exchange-rate risk for international moves; it's a pure ratio calculation on whatever two numbers you enter.

Recommendations

• Decide up front whether you're using an index that includes rent or excludes it (Numbeo publishes both a 'Cost of Living Index' and a 'Cost of Living Plus Rent Index') — mixing the two for your 'from' and 'to' cities will skew the result, since housing costs often swing the most between cities.
• For an international move, this calculator's output is still in your home currency's terms — you'll need to separately convert the result to the destination's currency and account for exchange-rate movement, which this tool doesn't model.
• City-wide indices are averages; your actual cost of living depends heavily on the specific neighborhood, housing type, and lifestyle you choose within that city, so treat the result as a starting estimate, not a guarantee.

Frequently asked questions

A common free source is Numbeo's Cost of Living Index, which scores cities relative to a reference city (New York City = 100) from crowd-submitted price data. Other sources like Mercer or ECA International publish their own indices, typically for a subscription. This calculator doesn't look any of this up for you — you supply both numbers.