About
Cost of living indices (NerdWallet, BestPlaces) compare housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare. NYC index 1.85 means 85% more expensive than baseline. Austin 1.0 baseline. Moving from NYC to Austin: same lifestyle for 54% the salary.
An index is an expense-weighted basket of consumer prices. The standard US weighting follows BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey: housing 33%, transport 17%, food 13%, healthcare 8%, utilities 6%, recreation 5%, with the remainder split across apparel, education, personal care, and miscellaneous. Because housing dominates, a city like San Francisco can show a 90% premium driven almost entirely by rent and home prices while groceries sit only 20% above the national average. Always check the underlying basket: Numbeo, BLS COLI, and EIU all weight components slightly differently.
Formula
Worked example: you earn $120,000 in Austin (index 100) and consider Manhattan (index 240 per Numbeo 2026). Equivalent salary = $120,000 x (240/100) = $288,000 to keep the same purchasing power. Reverse it: moving from Manhattan at $200,000 to Austin needs $83,333 to maintain lifestyle, though state income tax differences (NY ~6.85% top bracket, TX 0%) can shift the answer by another 8-10% in your favor.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is the Cost of Living Comparison?
It applies the standard formula. Accuracy is limited only by your input precision. For decisions with material consequences (taxes, medical, legal, structural), use the result as a starting point and verify with a qualified professional in the relevant field.
Is the Cost of Living Comparison free to use?
Yes. 100% free, no signup, no payment, no API key. The site is funded by display ads around the tool but not inside the calculation flow.
Are my inputs saved anywhere?
No. All inputs stay in your browser tab. Closing the tab discards them. The site uses Google Analytics for traffic measurement (anonymized) but the analytics never see what you type into the form.
Can I use the Cost of Living Comparison on my phone?
Yes. The tool is responsive and tested on iOS Safari, Android Chrome, and major desktop browsers. Touch targets meet Apple's 44pt and Google's 48dp minimum.
Does the Cost of Living Comparison work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, it works without internet. The calculation runs in JavaScript on your device.
How do I report a bug or suggest improvement to the Cost of Living Comparison?
Email hi@3tej.com with the URL of this page and a description of what you saw vs expected. We typically respond within 72 hours.
Can I share results from the Cost of Living Comparison?
Take a screenshot or copy the output. The page doesn't generate shareable URLs for specific calculations - inputs stay in your browser only.
Why are the results different from another cost of living comparison tool?
Most likely: different formula assumptions, different default values, different rounding rules, or different applicable rates. Check the methodology if both tools document it. Both can be valid for different scenarios.
Is the Cost of Living Comparison accurate?
The Cost of Living Comparison applies the standard formula for cost of living comparison. Accuracy is limited only by your input precision. For decisions with material consequences, use the result as a starting point and verify with a qualified professional or the relevant official source.
Is the Cost of Living Comparison free?
Yes. 100% free, no signup, no payment, no API key. The site is funded by display ads that appear around the tool but not inside the calculation flow.
Are my inputs saved?
No. Inputs stay in your browser tab. Closing the tab discards them. The site uses Google Analytics for traffic measurement (anonymized) but does not see what you type into the form.
How to use the Cost of Living Comparison
The Cost of Living Comparison is a browser-based tool that runs entirely on your device. Inputs you enter never reach a server - all calculations happen client-side in JavaScript. This means:
- Privacy: nothing is logged, sent, or stored by 3Tej. Inputs disappear when you close the tab.
- Speed: results update as you type. No network round trip.
- Offline use: once the page is cached, it works without internet.
- No signup: no account, no email, no rate limits.
Step by step
- Enter your inputs in the form above. Each field is labeled with its unit (currency, percent, kg, etc.) and the expected range.
- Read the result as it updates. The number reflects the formula commonly accepted in Cost of Living Comparison-related calculations.
- Adjust to see sensitivity: change one input at a time and watch how the output moves. This is the fastest way to understand which variable matters most.
- Copy or screenshot the result for later reference. The page state persists for the session if your browser allows it.
Pitfalls to avoid when comparing cities
- Ignoring state income tax: an index measures consumer prices, not take-home pay. Moving from California (13.3% top rate) to Florida (0%) effectively boosts purchasing power another 8 to 10% beyond what the index suggests.
- Using a national index for a neighborhood decision: NYC's overall index hides the gap between Manhattan ($85/sqft rent) and Staten Island ($28/sqft). Always drill to ZIP-code or neighborhood data for housing, the dominant component.
- Forgetting hidden one-time costs: moving expenses, broker fees (NYC at 12-15% of annual rent), car requirement in suburbs versus none in dense cities, and state-specific commuter taxes can add or subtract $5,000-15,000 in the first year.
When you would use this
- Quick estimates: when you need a number now and don't want to open a spreadsheet.
- Sensitivity analysis: testing how a result changes as inputs vary, before committing to a real-world decision.
- Comparison: running the same calculation with different inputs to compare options side by side.
- Learning: building intuition for how the underlying math behaves.
- Documentation: capturing a snapshot of inputs and outputs at a point in time.