Salary Comparison by City - Cost of Living Adjusted

How to use this tool

1. Add cities with their offered annual salary and cost of living index (100 = average).
2. The table adjusts each salary to a common baseline for fair comparison.
3. The city with the highest adjusted salary offers the best real buying power.

Beyond base salary

Two jobs with identical salaries can have dramatically different total compensation. When comparing offers, calculate the full picture:

• Equity: stock options, RSUs (Restricted Stock Units), ESPP discounts.
• Retirement: 401(k) match (e.g., 6% match = thousands per year).
• Health insurance: employer premium contributions can be worth $5,000–$15,000+ per year.
• PTO value: 3 weeks vs 2 weeks of PTO ≈ 2% of annual salary.
• Bonus: target vs guaranteed; cash vs deferred.
• Remote work: saves commuting costs ($200–$1,000+/month) and time.

Effective hourly rate

Divide your annual salary by total hours committed (including commute, unpaid overtime). A $120,000 job requiring 60 hours/week may pay less per hour than an $85,000 job at 40 hours/week with no commute.

Total compensation calculator approach

To build a true apples-to-apples comparison, create a spreadsheet that assigns an annual dollar value to every component:

• Base salary: the stated number.
• 401(k) match: employer match rate × your contribution amount.
• Health insurance: find each employer's premium contribution (often listed in the benefits summary) - this can range from $3,000 to $15,000+ per year.
• RSU / equity: annual grant value ÷ vesting period (e.g., $200K over 4 years = $50K/year, at current price).
• PTO: (additional PTO days beyond the other offer) × your daily rate.

Sum the columns to get a comparable total compensation figure for each offer.

Cost of living adjustment

A $120,000 salary in San Francisco is not equivalent to $120,000 in Dallas. Housing, transportation, and taxes vary dramatically by city. Use a cost of living calculator (such as CNN Money's or NerdWallet's) to convert salaries to a single reference city before comparing. As a rough guide, San Francisco costs roughly 60–80% more than the US average, while Dallas is near the average.

Negotiation tips

Research salary ranges on Levels.fyi (tech), Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, and Bureau of Labor Statistics OES data before any negotiation. Know your BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) - your walkaway point - before the conversation starts. Always negotiate the full package, not just base salary; signing bonus, equity refresh schedule, remote-work flexibility, and title are all negotiable at most companies.