Enter your current salary and destination to find the equivalent gross pay — adjusted for state and local taxes and cost of living.
SalaryAdjuster combines three data sources — federal tax law, state and local tax rates, and cost-of-living indices — to estimate the gross salary you'd need in a new city to maintain your current purchasing power and lifestyle.
Federal taxes are calculated using the IRS marginal bracket system. Income is taxed progressively — only the dollars within each bracket are taxed at that bracket's rate, not your entire salary. We apply 2024 brackets for three filing statuses: single, married filing jointly, and head of household.
All workers pay Social Security tax (6.2%) on wages up to the annual wage base, and Medicare tax (1.45%) on all wages. Earners above $200,000 pay an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax. These are federal and constant regardless of city, so they affect absolute take-home but not the city-to-city delta.
Nine states levy no individual income tax (TX, FL, WA, TN, NV, WY, SD, AK, NH). The rest use flat or progressive rates. Some cities add a local tax on top — New York City and St. Louis are notable examples. We apply approximate top marginal or flat rates per metro. Actual liability varies based on deductions, credits, and exact sub-locality.
We use composite cost-of-living indices referenced from the C2ER ACCRA Cost of Living Index — the standard benchmark used by employers, HR departments, relocation firms, and government agencies. The national average is set to 100. A city at 150 is 50% more expensive than average; a city at 85 is 15% less expensive. The index reflects housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods and services.
The calculator solves iteratively for the gross salary at your destination that produces the same after-tax, COL-adjusted purchasing power as your current gross salary.
The "tax only" mode holds the COL ratio at 1.0. The "COL only" mode scales gross directly by the COL ratio. The default "balanced" mode applies both simultaneously.
Data is reviewed annually following IRS bracket announcements (typically November) and quarterly C2ER index releases. Last updated: January 2025.
SalaryAdjuster is not a licensed tax advisor. Results are estimates for planning purposes only. For precise withholding, consult a CPA or use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
Last updated: January 1, 2025
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SalaryAdjuster is a client-side calculator. All salary and tax calculations happen entirely in your browser. We do not collect, store, or transmit the salary figures, city selections, or filing status you enter into the calculator. No account is required to use the tool.
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