Cost of Living by City & Should-You-Move Calculator
Should you move? Net monthly impact
Move looks favorable: about $400/mo better, recovers the $3,000 move in ~7.5 months.
Housing burden (rule of thumb: ≤ 30% of take-home)
Housing is usually the largest local cost swing. A move that drops your housing burden below 30% of take-home income is often worth more than the raw dollar savings — but only if income and other costs hold up.
Meal cost by city — a food-cost proxy (GSA FY2026)
The federal per diem meal allowance (M&IE) is a handy, official proxy for how food costs differ by city. It is not a full cost of living — rent and utilities dominate real living costs — but it shows why “cost of living” is never one number. Source: GSA Per Diem Bulletin FTR 26-01 (Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026); retrieved 2026-08-11.
| City | Meals & incidentals (per day) | vs. standard CONUS |
|---|---|---|
| Standard CONUS (most of U.S.) | $68/day | baseline |
| Atlanta, GA | $86/day | +540/mo |
| Boston / Cambridge, MA | $92/day | +720/mo |
| Chicago, IL | $92/day | +720/mo |
| Dallas, TX | $80/day | +360/mo |
| Houston, TX | $80/day | +360/mo |
| Las Vegas, NV | $86/day | +540/mo |
| Los Angeles, CA | $86/day | +540/mo |
| Miami, FL | $92/day | +720/mo |
| New York City, NY | $92/day | +720/mo |
| San Diego, CA | $86/day | +540/mo |
| San Francisco, CA | $92/day | +720/mo |
| Seattle, WA | $92/day | +720/mo |
| Washington, DC | $92/day | +720/mo |
The move-decision checklist
- 1. Housing first. Enter the real rent/mortgage for both cities. A $400/month housing drop is worth ~$4,800/year before anything else changes.
- 2. Income second. If the move comes with a new job, use take-home pay (after tax), not the offer headline.
- 3. The hidden deltas. State income tax, utilities, and commute/transport can quietly erase a housing win. The “extra monthly cost at target” field captures all of it in one number.
- 4. Payback. Divide one-time moving cost by net monthly gain. Under ~24 months usually clears the bar; longer means the move is about lifestyle, not cash.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I compare cost of living between two cities?
The fastest comparison is housing plus income: enter your current and target monthly rent/mortgage and take-home pay, plus any difference in taxes, utilities, or transport. The calculator shows your net monthly impact, the annual swing, how long the move takes to pay for itself, and your housing burden before and after. Housing is usually the single biggest swing, so get the rent number right first.
What is a healthy housing burden when deciding to move?
A common budgeting guideline is to keep housing at or below about 30% of take-home income. If a move drops your housing burden under that line while income holds, it is often worth more than the raw dollar savings — but only if the other monthly costs (taxes, utilities, transport) do not eat the gain.
Is the GSA meal figure the same as cost of living?
No. The GSA M&IE rate is a travel meal allowance (standard $68/day in FY2026, up to $92 in high-cost cities), not a full cost of living. It is a useful food-cost proxy for comparing cities, but rent, utilities, and transport dominate real living costs — which is why the calculator asks for your own numbers rather than quoting a single index.
When does moving NOT make financial sense?
When the net monthly impact is negative (higher housing or lower income after other costs) or when a small gain takes more than about two years of move costs to recover. A move can still make sense for family, climate, or career reasons, but the calculator separates the cash-flow question from those personal factors.