Remote Work Cost-of-Living Calculator

Remote workers thinking about relocating — or negotiating pay for a move — who want to compare cities fairly. A $100,000 salary stretches very differently in San Francisco than in Memphis, and this puts a number on that gap.

Every city has a cost-of-living index, scaled so the U.S. national average is 100. Your equivalent salary is your current pay multiplied by the ratio of the two cities' indexes. If the target city's index is higher, you'll need more to keep the same lifestyle; if it's lower, you can maintain your standard of living on less.

The calculator includes about 30 major U.S. cities, and the list is easy to expand.

If your employer wants to adjust your pay when you move, the equivalent salary is a useful anchor: it's the number that keeps you whole. If you're moving somewhere cheaper and keeping your salary, the difference is effectively a raise in real terms.

Cost-of-living indexes here are approximate and cover typical living expenses, not state and local income taxes, which can meaningfully change your take-home. Individual circumstances — housing choices, commute, lifestyle — vary widely. Treat the result as a starting point for a conversation, not a precise figure.