Cost of living index converter

Dallas, TX. If you'd like to know the cost of living in other cities, then please select a city in. In the simplest terms, a Cost of Living index is the estimated amount that represents the cost of the basic necessities required for an individual to live. A cost of living or COL estimate may typically include estimates for housing, food, energy, medical care, transportation, taxes, and other necessities.

A COL index may be used to measure what the cost difference would be for a person living in a certain location compared to another location. This cost of living comparison helps individuals make decisions about where they would like to live and what they can afford based on the costs in that location.

A cost of living comparison can provide guidance about how an increase or decrease in these basic living expenses impacts necessary spending for an individual or a family.

The Salary. These are the universally recognized core components of any cost of living estimate and represent those expenses that apply to everyone. Obviously, there may be other factors that could contribute to your particular cost of living situation and not everyone has the same spending habits.

You can see how your job and your salary will be impacted by a change of location. If you live in one location but work in another, the cost of living calculator will make those adjustments to provide an accurate estimate of the change in COL. Housing is a large part of any cost of the living estimate. This category includes your rent, mortgage payment including interest and property insurance or other fees.

Most households spend the largest share of overall expenses on housing. Average housing costs have recently been increasing everywhere in the United States. There are certain areas of the country where the cost of housing has increased much more rapidly than other locations and the cost of living calculator will help you to identify those locations.

Another category of the cost of living is food. This includes the overall cost of food items purchased in grocery stores and food consumed away from home. The cost of groceries is a significant piece of the cost of living estimate.

Transportation is included in the cost of living estimate and consists of any expenses related to travel including commuting. The costs of operating a car, such as gas, maintenance, repairs, tires, insurance, motor vehicle licensing or registration fees are part of the estimate.

The costs of utilizing public transportation are also included in this category. The healthcare category of the cost of living estimate consists of premiums for health insurance, medical care or professional medical services like a physician or dentist, and hospital, prescriptions and other health-related services.

Budget tip: It is difficult to budget for healthcare expenses due to the sometimes unexpected nature of the need for healthcare services. Career Advice Explore real-world career trends and advice from the leaders in compensation. Payscale Predicts the Election will be closer than polls indicate If we learned anything from , is that the polls don't. Career Advice By Topic. Career Advice. Salary Research Uncover detailed salary data for specific jobs, employers, schools, and more.

By Company. Take our salary survey to see what you should be earning. Get a Demo Price a Job. Get a Demo My Account. Cost of Living Calculator. Whether you're planning for an upcoming move or just curious about the cost of living in other cities, the PayScale Cost of Living Calculator is the place to begin your research or daydreaming. Just enter your salary and job title as well as your current location and the city where you're considering a move. Not only will we show you the cost of living difference, but we'll let you know how much you need to make in the new location to maintain your current standard of living.

Get started! Calculate Cost of Living Moving From. Thinking of relocating or just exploring your options? Enter your cities to compare. Browse Popular Cities. Find out what you should be paid Use our tool to get a personalized report on your market worth. Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about and where those products appear on the site , but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research.

Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners. While other resources provide basic cost comparisons, and accompanying city life tool go one step further by offering information on schools, quality of life and demographics, giving users a one-stop shop to explore new cities.

One of most important determinations you need to make before moving to a new city or town is how much it will cost to live there. Because the price of goods and services varies from one city to the next, calculating the cost of living will determine how affordable it is to live in a certain area. The expenses that factor into cost of living can include housing affordability, transportation expenses, food prices and entertainment costs.

Cost of living is also tied to income, as salary levels in a geographic area are measured against these expenses. For homeowners, there are more expenses to consider than just the monthly mortgage payment. For some, these costs include taking public transportation. For others, it involves driving your car, and that means factoring in car repairs, gas, tolls and parking.

Proximity to employment is an important consideration because it can drastically impact your cost of living.

A cost of living index allows you to directly compare what it costs to live in one area against another, helping you understand how far your money can go in each place. For example, the cost of living in San Francisco is twice that of Boise, Idaho.

Whether you use a cost of living index or a cost of living calculator, each will help you feel more confident in deciding where to live.