Where this fits
Use this when weighing a move, a remote-work relocation, a job offer in another city, or repricing freelance rates for a new area.
Cost of living
Cost of living income calculator
Enter your income now and how expensive the new place is to see what you'd need to earn there to live the same — and whether an offer covers it.
Example: If the new place costs 18% more, you'd need about $118,000 to match a $100,000 lifestyle.
Income you'd need there
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A snapshot, not the year
A planning estimate. Your own taxes, housing, and budget can shift it.
Get Goal Cue — keep this on paceOr preview instantly on this iPhone →Use the result
A calculator gives the number. Goal Cue keeps it alive.
Once you settle on the number, Goal Cue turns it into a day-by-day income pace for the year.
Download Goal CueHow to find the cost-of-living number
Set where you live now as 100. If a place is 20% more expensive, enter 120; if it's 15% cheaper, enter 85. Cost-of-living comparison sites give this for most cities, and the BEA publishes it for U.S. metro areas.
Turn the estimate into a goal
The best output is not just a number, it's a target you can track. Goal Cue keeps that target visible as expected progress, actual earnings, and next pace.
Source note
For U.S. metro areas, the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes Regional Price Parities — how far a dollar goes in each area compared with the national average.
BEA Regional Price ParitiesQuestions
Is this a full household budget?
No. It is a quick planning estimate for an income target. Housing, taxes, healthcare, family size, and debt can all change the right number.
How do I find the cost-of-living number for a city?
Search for a cost-of-living comparison between the two places, or use the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for U.S. metro areas. Enter where you live now as 100 and the other place relative to it.
More tools
Keep exploring income and inflation.
Inflation calculator
Inflation-adjusted income goal calculator
Calculate how much your income goal needs to rise to keep the same buying power after inflation, then track the goal in Goal Cue.
Raise calculator
Salary inflation calculator
Check whether a raise beats inflation, how much salary is needed to keep buying power, and what that means for your yearly income goal.
Freelance pace
Freelance income goal calculator
Calculate where freelance, creator, contractor, or 1099 income should be by now and what weekly pace is needed to hit the annual goal.