Salary Comparison Calculator
Compare two job offers adjusted for cost of living, taxes, and total compensation. See which offer gives you more purchasing power. Works with any currency.
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How to Use This Calculator
Tab "Compare Two Offers"
Enter the annual salary and cost of living index for each job. A COL index of 100 equals the national average. The calculator divides each salary by its COL multiplier to show which offer gives you more real purchasing power, regardless of the headline number.
Tab "After COL + Tax"
Add estimated tax rates to the comparison. Enter each job's salary, effective tax rate, and COL index. The calculator computes after-tax income and then adjusts for cost of living to show true purchasing power. This reveals cases where a higher salary in a high-tax, high-COL city actually buys less than a lower salary elsewhere.
Tab "Total Compensation"
Go beyond salary. Enter base salary, bonuses, stock/equity, health insurance value, retirement match, PTO days, remote work savings, and commute savings for each offer. The calculator sums everything to show total annual compensation. PTO value is calculated using your daily rate times the extra days one offer provides over the other.
The Formulas
Adjusted Salary = Salary / (COL Index / 100)
After-tax income:
After-Tax = Salary × (1 − Tax Rate)
Purchasing power:
Purchasing Power = After-Tax Income / (COL Index / 100)
Total compensation:
Total Comp = Salary + Health Insurance + Retirement Match + Equity + Bonus + PTO Value + Remote Savings + Commute Savings
PTO value:
PTO Value = (Salary / 260 working days) × Extra PTO Days vs Other Offer
All calculations are universal and currency-agnostic. Tax rates are user-entered estimates. No country-specific data is applied automatically.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — Austin vs San Francisco: COL-adjusted comparison
Job A offers $95,000 in Austin (COL 100). Job B offers $140,000 in San Francisco (COL 180).
Despite earning $45,000 less on paper, the Austin offer buys more because San Francisco's cost of living is 80% above average.
Example 2 — NYC office vs Remote: purchasing power after tax
Job A: $130,000 in NYC (COL 190, 32% tax). Job B: $110,000 remote in a mid-size city (COL 95, 24% tax).
The remote offer nearly doubles the NYC offer's purchasing power, despite a $20,000 lower salary, thanks to lower taxes and dramatically lower cost of living.
Example 3 — Startup vs Big Company: total compensation
Startup: $90K salary, no bonus, $40K equity/year, 20 PTO days, remote. Big Co: $130K salary, $15K bonus, $8K equity, 15 PTO days, office.
The startup's equity narrows the gap significantly, but the big company still wins on total comp. If the startup equity appreciates, the calculation could flip.
Understanding Salary Comparisons
Why Headline Salary Is Misleading
A $150,000 salary in San Francisco and a $90,000 salary in Boise, Idaho do not mean what they appear. Cost of living, taxes, and benefits can make the lower offer worth more in real terms. Always compare purchasing power, not just the number on the offer letter.
What Affects Cost of Living?
Housing is the biggest driver, typically 30-40% of COL differences between cities. Other factors include groceries, transportation, healthcare, utilities, and local taxes. Cities with COL indices above 150 are significantly more expensive than average, while those below 90 are notably affordable.
The Total Compensation Picture
Non-salary benefits often add 20-40% to an offer's true value. Employer health insurance can be worth $6,000-$20,000 per year. A 5% 401k match on a $120,000 salary is $6,000 in free money. Stock grants at public companies have a quantifiable value. Even PTO differences matter: 5 extra days at a $120,000 salary is worth $2,308.
Remote Work Changes Everything
Remote roles let you earn a high-COL salary while living in a low-COL area. Even if the remote salary is 10-20% lower, the COL savings often more than compensate. Add commute savings ($2,000-$5,000/year for most commuters) and the math tilts further toward remote.