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Explore City Stats Before You Move

Explore major metros with salary and cost data. Compare cities and get insights on living expenses.

Explore Cities

Explore major metros with salary and cost data. Compare cities and get insights on living expenses.

Operation Mode

City Selection

Salary & Household

Time & Inflation

Ready to Explore

Select an operation mode and enter city names to explore salary, cost of living, housing, and income benchmarks. Compare cities and compute salary equivalents using public data.

Key Formulas

Salary Equivalent (COLA)

Salary_B = Salary_A × (RPP_B / RPP_A)

Inflation Adjustment

Real = Nominal × (CPI_target / CPI_t)

Rent-to-Income Ratio

ρ = (12 × Rent_monthly) / Income_annual

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the data come from?

Public U.S. sources: BLS (OEWS, CPI), BEA (RPP), Census ACS, and HUD FMR. We cache responses and refresh periodically.

Is this real-time?

These datasets are updated periodically (annual/quarterly/monthly). Values are adjusted to the selected year using CPI.

Can I pick non-U.S. cities?

Initial release focuses on U.S. metros. We plan to extend to international cities in the future.

Are neighborhood-level prices supported?

Not in v1; this tool focuses on metro-level comparisons.

Why do my results differ from private sites?

Methodologies and sources differ; we use transparent public data.

You're weighing a job offer in a city you've never lived in. The salary looks decent, but you have no idea if $85,000 in Charlotte goes as far as $95,000 in Denver. This tool lets you explore cities one at a time—pulling rent medians, income benchmarks, tax snapshots, and commute realities into a single dashboard. Most people Google "cost of living + city name" and get a vague index number with no context. That tells you nothing about whether you can actually afford a 1BR near downtown or how your salary stacks up against locals.

This snapshot gives you the facts you need in under a minute: median rent, where your income ranks, state tax hit, and transit options. Then you can dig deeper or move on.

City Snapshot in 60 Seconds

The dashboard pulls four numbers that matter most when you're evaluating a city cold: median household income, median 1BR rent, cost-of-living index, and income percentile for your salary. That's enough to tell you whether you're walking into an affordable situation or a financial squeeze.

What each number tells you

  • Median income: Half of households earn more, half earn less. If your offer is below median, you'll compete for housing against people who earn more than you.
  • Median 1BR rent: The middle of the rental market—not luxury, not subsidized. If this number is 35%+ of your gross, you're cost-burdened by HUD standards.
  • COL index: 100 = national average. A score of 115 means the city costs 15% more than typical. Below 95 means you'll stretch your dollars further.
  • Your percentile: Where your salary falls in the local distribution. Being at the 70th percentile means you out-earn 70% of households.

A quick scan takes 30 seconds. If median rent is $1,800 and your take-home is $4,200/month, you're spending 43% on housing before utilities. That's the kind of red flag you can spot instantly—no need to dig through ten tabs of research.

Housing Reality: Rent vs Buy Signals

Rent numbers in the snapshot are HUD Fair Market Rents—mid-market estimates, not luxury or Section 8 rates. They're directionally accurate but won't match the first Zillow listing you see. Use them as a benchmark, then check actual listings in the neighborhoods you're targeting.

Rent signals to watch

  • Median 1BR above $2,000 → likely a high-demand market
  • 2BR less than 1.4× the 1BR → roommates won't save you much
  • Rent-to-income ratio above 30% → you'll feel the squeeze

Buy signals to check separately

  • Price-to-rent ratio above 20 → renting might make more sense
  • Property tax rates above 2% → factor into mortgage affordability
  • Median home price 5×+ local median income → stretched market

The snapshot doesn't include home prices—that's a deeper analysis you'd run separately. But if median rent is $1,400 and you've heard "buying is way cheaper here," the rent data gives you a sanity check. Cheap rent usually means reasonable home prices. Expensive rent with cheap homes is rare.

Income and Taxes at a Glance

Your salary means different things in different places. $80,000 puts you at the 65th percentile in Raleigh but only the 45th percentile in San Francisco. The snapshot shows where you stand locally—so you know if you're above-average or fighting for the same apartments as people who earn more.

Tax differences that actually matter

No state income tax

TX, FL, WA, NV, TN, WY, SD, AK, NH (wages only)

Save 5–13% of gross vs high-tax states

High state income tax

CA (up to 13.3%), NY (up to 10.9%), NJ (up to 10.75%)

Add 8–13% to your effective tax rate

The snapshot flags the state tax situation but doesn't calculate your exact withholding—that depends on your filing status, deductions, and income sources. Use it as a quick filter: moving from Texas to California at the same salary means roughly 9% less take-home. That's real money.

Property tax rates also vary wildly—Texas has no income tax but property taxes of 1.8–2.5%. New Jersey combines high income tax with the nation's highest property taxes (2.2% average). These trade-offs aren't visible in a single snapshot but matter for long-term planning.

Commute, Transit, and Daily Friction

Some cities are car-dependent. Others have functional transit. The snapshot notes whether the metro has rail transit, average commute time, and the share of residents who drive alone. These aren't deal-breakers, but they affect your daily quality of life and budget.

Car-dependent metros

Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte. Budget $400–$700/month for car payment + insurance + gas + maintenance. Public transit exists but isn't practical for most commutes.

Transit-friendly metros

NYC, Chicago, Boston, DC, San Francisco, Philadelphia. Monthly transit passes run $80–$130. You can skip car ownership if you live and work near rail lines.

In-between metros

Seattle, Denver, Portland, LA, Miami. Transit works for some routes, but most residents still own cars. You might get away with one car instead of two.

Average commute time is shown in minutes. Anything under 25 minutes is better than national average (27 minutes). Above 35 minutes means you're spending 12+ hours per month just getting to work—that's a hidden cost in time and energy.

Quality Clues Worth Verifying

The snapshot gives you numbers, not vibes. It won't tell you whether the city "feels safe" or has "good schools" or is "boring." Those are subjective—and the only way to know is to visit or talk to people who live there.

  • 1.
    Crime rates—FBI UCR data is available but varies by neighborhood, not just city. A city with "high crime" might have safe suburbs and sketchy downtown or vice versa.
  • 2.
    School quality—GreatSchools ratings help, but they're controversial. Public vs private vs charter varies wildly within the same metro.
  • 3.
    Weather tolerance—Phoenix summers hit 115°F. Minneapolis winters hit -20°F. Climate data is objective; your tolerance is personal.
  • 4.
    Social scene—No dataset captures whether you'll make friends. Cities with transplant cultures (Austin, Denver, Seattle) are different from rooted locals (Boston, Philly, Detroit).

Use the snapshot to narrow your list, then verify the soft factors with a visit, subreddit deep-dive, or calls to people who've made similar moves. Numbers get you 70% of the way; the rest is gut.

Update Notes and Data Coverage

Where does this data come from?

Income data is from Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), updated annually with about a 12-month lag. Rent data uses HUD Fair Market Rents, published each year. Cost-of-living indices draw from BLS Consumer Price Index and BEA Regional Price Parities. All numbers reflect metro statistical areas (MSAs), not city limits.

How current is it?

The tool uses the most recent published data, typically 6–18 months old. For fast-moving markets (Austin, Miami, Phoenix), actual rents may be 5–15% higher than shown. Cross-reference with Zillow, Apartments.com, or Craigslist for real-time listings.

What's not included?

The snapshot doesn't calculate your exact tax liability, model specific neighborhoods, or predict future price changes. It gives you metro-level medians—your actual costs depend on where you live, how you spend, and what you negotiate.

Can I trust the percentile rankings?

Yes, for household income. The percentiles are based on Census ACS distributions and reflect all households in the metro—renters, owners, singles, families. If you're comparing your individual salary to household income, note that dual-income households push medians higher.

Should I use this for final decisions?

Use it for screening and comparison. Before signing a lease or accepting an offer, verify rent with actual listings, calculate take-home pay with a tax calculator, and visit if possible. The snapshot gives you enough to say "this city is probably affordable" or "this city is probably a stretch"—not enough to sign a contract.

Sources

Reviewed by travel & finance professionals
Last updated: December 2025
Based on FMCSA moving guidelines

For Educational Purposes Only - Not Professional Advice

This calculator provides estimates for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute travel, financial, legal, or professional advice. Results are based on the information you provide and general guidelines that may not account for your individual circumstances. Costs, fees, and regulations change frequently. Always consult with a qualified licensed moving company or relocation specialist for advice specific to your situation. Information should be verified with official FMCSA.gov sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about exploring cities, salary equivalents, rent burden calculations, COL vs PPP, income benchmarks, and data sources.

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Explore Cities: Rent, Income & Tax Snapshot