How the comparison works
Thinking about a move or a job offer in another county? Enter one salary and pick two counties. The calculator runs the salary through each state's tax rules, subtracts the local cost of rent, food, home energy and gasoline, and lays the two results side by side with a difference column. Because the salary is the same in both places, every dollar of difference comes from taxes and prices, which is exactly what a relocation changes.
Why the same salary
Job offers rarely match. A role in a larger city usually pays more, so comparing only the cost of living can be misleading. Run the calculator twice: once with your current salary in both counties, and once with the salary you expect in the new one. The gap between the two margins is how much extra pay the move needs to deliver to leave you where you are today.
What changes between counties
Rent is almost always the biggest difference, followed by groceries and energy. Gasoline varies by state. Taxes matter most when the counties sit in different states: moving from a state with no wage tax to one with a 5% income tax takes about 5% off take-home pay before any price differences. When both counties are in the same state, the tax lines are identical and the comparison is entirely about prices.
Reading the comparison table
The table lists gross pay, federal tax with FICA, state income tax, take-home pay, each living cost and what is left over, per year. The last column is county B minus county A, so a positive number in a cost row means B is more expensive, and a positive number in the left-over row means you keep more in B. The summary cards above the table show the monthly margin in each place and the yearly difference.
Each county name links to its page, which lists median pay for hundreds of occupations there. If you are comparing offers rather than places, open the job in both counties and use the local median as your salary here.
What is not included
The comparison covers the four basics only. Moving costs, differing health insurance and car costs, property taxes if you buy, childcare and the value of a different job market are not priced. Rents are Fair Market Rent benchmarks, which describe a typical apartment, so a particular listing can differ. Treat the result as the first screen of a decision, then check local listings.