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Compensation
Salary Cost-of-Living Adjust
Adjust a US salary to another city's purchasing power.
Combines cost-of-living index, state income tax, and median rent. Real numbers vary by neighborhood and lifestyle.
Equivalent salary in target
$102,542
to match purchasing power
Nominal COL-adjusted
$95,833
ignoring tax + rent
Δ after-tax
-$23,459
from $99,037 → $75,578
Δ housing / yr
$19,200
cheaper
After-tax after-rent (current)
$57,037
San Francisco, CA
After-tax after-rent (target)
$52,778
Austin, TX
AI explainer
Ask anything about your result
The math above is deterministic. AI explains what it means — it never recalculates the numbers.
About
Adjust a US salary to another city's purchasing power. Useful for remote-first companies setting geo-based pay or for employees considering a move.
How it works
- 01Each city has a cost-of-living index (100 = US national average).
- 02Adjusted salary = original × (target index / source index).
- 03Compare to your actual offer to see whether you're being paid above or below cost-of-living parity.
Examples
SF to Austin
$150k in San Francisco (index 180) ≈ $96k in Austin (index 115). Same purchasing power, $54k less in nominal pay.
Remote arbitrage
$150k SF salary while living in Lisbon (index 60) = effective $250k purchasing power. The 'geo arbitrage' that powers remote work.
FAQ
Where does the index come from?+
Composite of housing, groceries, transportation, and services. We use approximate values — not Numbeo or Mercer precision.
Should companies actually pay this way?+
Many do (Buffer, GitLab). Others (Reddit, Airbnb) pay one rate globally to stay competitive in talent markets.
What about taxes?+
COL adjustment is gross — moving from a no-tax state to a high-tax state cuts your net further. Use the Salary Calculator for net comparisons.