Cost of Living: City A vs. City B
Compare the cost of living between two cities. See how much salary you need to maintain your lifestyle when you move.
Why Cost of Living Varies So Much
Housing is the primary driver of cost-of-living differences between cities. Median rent in San Francisco is 3x the median in Houston. New York City is 2.8x the national average for housing. After housing, the other categories (food, transportation, healthcare, utilities) typically vary by only 10-30% between cities.
How to Use This for Job Offers
When comparing job offers in different cities, convert both salaries to the same cost-of-living base. An $85,000 salary in Houston (index 91) is equivalent to approximately $175,000 in San Francisco (index 179). A $120,000 SF offer is actually a pay cut in purchasing power terms.
The Most and Least Expensive US Cities
Most expensive: San Francisco, New York, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles. Least expensive: Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Minneapolis. The gap between the most and least expensive major US cities is roughly 2:1 in overall cost of living and up to 3.5:1 for housing specifically.
The BLS found that housing accounts for 75% of cost-of-living variation between cities. If housing were equalized, the cost of living in every major US city would be within 15% of each other.
