Cost of living calculator

Pick where you live and where you are looking. See the salary that buys the same life, and what rent, a home and the commute cost there.¹

By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.

I live in

I'm thinking about

My salary

Salary that buys the same life in Raleigh, NC$87,202$12,798 less than you earn now goes as far

Mortgage on the typical home$1,632/mo less$19,586 a year

Measure	New York City, NY	Raleigh, NC	In Raleigh, NC
Everyday prices vs US average	+13%	-2%	13% cheaper
Housing costs vs US average	+49%	+3%	30% cheaper
Typical home for sale	$742,000	$445,000	40% less
Monthly mortgage on it	$4,078	$2,445	$1,632 less a month
2-bedroom rent	$1,997	$1,673	$324 less a month
Average commute, one way	37 min	26 min	11 min shorter
Typical household income	$102,139	$101,695	About the same
State income tax	Up to 10.9%	3.99% flat

Cost of living in New York City, NY Cost of living in Raleigh, NC

What each number means

Every figure comes from a public source.^2,3,4,5,6

Salary that buys the same life
Your pay scaled by the two places' price levels for goods, services and rent.
Typical home and mortgage
The median listing price and the monthly payment with 20% down at this week's average rate.
2-bedroom rent
The median for all renters, utilities included.
Commute and income
The average one-way trip to work and the typical household's yearly income.

Cost of living calculator: questions people ask

How does the cost of living calculator work?

It compares two places on the same measures. The matching salary uses the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for 2024, which price the same basket of goods, services and rent in every metro and state: your salary times the new place's index, divided by your current one.

Does the calculator include taxes?

It shows each state's top income tax rate side by side, but the matching salary is before tax. Our state income tax comparison works out the tax on a given salary in every state.

Where does the rent figure come from?

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 2025 1-year estimates: the median gross rent for a 2-bedroom, which includes utilities the renter pays and covers all renters, not only new leases.

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Notes on the numbers

1Salary match, everyday prices and housing costs: BEA regional price parities, 2024. The matching salary is your salary times the new place's price level divided by your current one. Our arithmetic.
2Typical home: the median listing price, Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026 (states: statewide median).
3Mortgage: Principal and interest on the median listed home with 20% down, 30-year fixed at 7.32% (Freddie Mac 30-year fixed average, week of October 22, 2026). Excludes taxes, insurance and HOA. Rate source
4Rent: Census ACS 2025 1-year, table B25031, median gross rent by number of bedrooms (rent plus utilities the renter pays), 2025. Census table
5Commute and household income: Census ACS 2025 1-year, table S0801, mean travel time to work (one way, workers who do not work from home); Census ACS 2025 1-year, table B19013, median household income, 2025. Census table
6State income tax: top 2026 rate for married couples filing jointly, from each state's revenue department. Some cities add their own.

Sources for this page