Cost of Living Comparison
Enter your current monthly expenses and a cost index ratio for a second city to see how your budget would change if you moved.
Divide the new city's cost of living index by your current city's index, then multiply your spending or salary by the result.
Use the Cost of Living Comparison
Cities
Monthly Expenses
Summary
Quick answer
Divide the new city's cost of living index by your current city's index, then multiply your spending or salary by the result. If your city scores 100 and the new one 85, a $4,580 monthly budget becomes $3,893, or $8,244 less a year.
Examples
| Index: now → new | Ratio | $4,580 a month becomes | $70,000 salary matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 → 85 | 0.85 | $3,893 | $59,500 |
| 100 → 100 | 1.00 | $4,580 | $70,000 |
| 100 → 125 | 1.25 | $5,725 | $87,500 |
| 120 → 90 | 0.75 | $3,435 | $52,500 |
Enter your costs and ratio.
Summary
This cost of living comparison tool lets you enter your current monthly expenses across categories like housing, food, and transport, then apply a cost index ratio for a second city to project what the same lifestyle would cost there. Adjust individual category ratios for more precision, or use a single overall index. The side-by-side breakdown shows exactly where costs rise or fall.
How it works
- Enter a name for each city you want to compare.
- Add expense categories (housing, food, transport, etc.) with your current monthly amounts.
- Set a cost index ratio for the second city — for example, 1.30 means 30% more expensive, 0.85 means 15% cheaper.
- Each category can have its own ratio, or use the global ratio to scale all categories at once.
- The summary shows total monthly spend in both cities and the annual difference.
Use cases
- Estimate how a salary offer in a new city compares to your current purchasing power.
- Decide between two job offers in different metros.
- Plan a relocation budget before committing to a move.
- Compare retirement destination costs against your current city.
- Show clients or employees the cost difference when negotiating remote work compensation.
- Quickly check if a lower-cost city offsets a pay cut.