Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in State B matches your purchasing power in State A?
How the equivalent salary is computed
Start with your current salary and state. The calculator computes your take-home after federal tax, FICA and your state's 2026 income tax, divides it by your state's cost-of-living index to get purchasing power, then solves for the salary in the target state that produces the same purchasing power after that state's taxes and prices. It is the number to put in front of a recruiter when an offer comes from somewhere cheaper or dearer.
Both taxes and prices move the answer, often in opposite directions. Moving from Austin to San Francisco adds California income tax and roughly 50% higher prices, so matching a $120,000 Texas salary takes well over $180,000 in California. Moving from New York to Nashville removes state tax and cuts prices, so the same lifestyle costs about a third less in salary.
What the index does and does not capture
The cost index is a statewide average that weights housing, groceries, transportation, utilities and healthcare. It cannot see that Manhattan and Buffalo share a state, or that a renter and a homeowner feel housing differently. For a move between specific metros, treat the result as a floor and check rent or mortgage costs directly. Property tax, which is the largest hidden difference between no-tax states and the rest, is not in the index.