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Cost of Living Calculator

Compare cost of living between 50+ US cities across housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and utilities with salary adjustment recommendations. Free, fast, and private — runs entirely in your browser.

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How to Use Cost of Living Calculator

  1. 1Select your current city and target city.
  2. 2Enter your current salary.
  3. 3Compare costs across all categories.
  4. 4View the equivalent salary needed in your target city.

Frequently Asked Questions

We compare housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and utilities costs across cities using normalized index values relative to the national average (100).

Over 50 major US cities are included with detailed cost breakdowns across 5 spending categories.

Yes, completely free with no sign-up required. All calculations run in your browser.

Yes, the calculator shows what salary you'd need in a new city to maintain the same standard of living.

Yes, the Cost of Living Calculator is fully responsive and works perfectly on smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. Simply open NexTool in your mobile browser and navigate to the tool — no app download required.

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About Cost of Living Calculator

Compare cost of living between 50+ US cities across housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and utilities with salary adjustment recommendations. Free, fast, and private — runs entirely in your browser.

NexTool's Cost of Living Calculator is completely free to use with no sign-up required. Your data is processed directly in your browser and never sent to our servers, ensuring complete privacy and instant results.

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Equivalent Salary Needed in Chicago, IL
$42,914
You would need $32,086 less (-42.8%) in Chicago compared to New York.
New York Index
187
Chicago Index
107
Overall Difference
-42.8%
Category Comparison: New York vs Chicago
Housing-60.2%
New York
254
Chicago
101
Groceries-10.3%
New York
116
Chicago
104
Transportation-13.1%
New York
130
Chicago
113
Healthcare-3.6%
New York
110
Chicago
106
Utilities-35.3%
New York
150
Chicago
97
Index values are relative to the national average (100). Higher values indicate higher costs.
Estimated Annual Cost Breakdown
CategoryWeightNew YorkChicagoDifference
Housing
40%$30,000$11,929-$18,071
Groceries
15%$11,250$10,086-$1,164
Transportation
15%$11,250$9,779-$1,471
Healthcare
15%$11,250$10,841-$409
Utilities
15%$11,250$7,275-$3,975
Total100%$75,000$42,914-$32,086
Most Affordable Cities
1. Memphis, TN$34,492
2. El Paso, TX$34,492
3. Oklahoma City, OK$34,893
4. Birmingham, AL$34,893
5. Detroit, MI$35,695
6. San Antonio, TX$36,096
7. St. Louis, MO$36,096
8. Cleveland, OH$36,096
9. Indianapolis, IN$36,497
10. Louisville, KY$36,497
Most Expensive Cities
1. New York, NY$75,000
2. San Francisco, CA$71,791
3. San Jose, CA$70,989
4. Honolulu, HI$68,182
5. Los Angeles, CA$66,578
6. San Diego, CA$64,171
7. Washington, DC$60,963
8. Seattle, WA$59,759
9. Boston, MA$59,358
10. Portland, OR$52,139
How This Works

This calculator uses a composite cost-of-living index based on five weighted categories: Housing (40%), Groceries (15%), Transportation (15%), Healthcare (15%), and Utilities (15%).

Equivalent Salary = Current Salary x (Target City Index / Current City Index)

Index values are relative to the US national average of 100. A city with an index of 150 is roughly 50% more expensive than the national average. Data reflects approximate 2024 cost-of-living estimates and may vary based on individual spending patterns.