Cost-of-Living Adjusted TC Comparison

Comparing total compensation (TC) across cities without accounting for cost-of-living (COL) differences can lead to misleading conclusions. A $200,000 offer in San Francisco may feel very different from the same offer in Austin, TX, due to housing, taxes, and daily expenses. This cost of living adjusted total compensation comparison tool helps you normalize compensation packages across geographies, so you can make apples-to-apples comparisons.

Big Tech salaries often vary based on location, but so does the cost of living. For example, according to Levels.fyi, the median L5 engineer salary at Google is ~$250K in San Francisco, but ~$180K in Austin. Yet, San Francisco's COL is ~60% higher than Austin's (per Numbeo and Bureau of Labor Statistics data). Adjusting for COL, the real value of these offers may be closer than they appear.

This calculator estimates your total compensation—including base salary, bonus, and RSUs—and adjusts it for COL differences between cities using multipliers derived from public data sources. The tool also accounts for hybrid/remote work scenarios, which can further impact the effective value of your compensation. While no model is perfect, this cost of living adjusted TC tool provides a data-driven starting point for evaluating job offers or relocating.

To use the tool, enter your base salary, bonus percentage, and RSU value, then select your current city and the city you're comparing. The calculator will output your estimated total compensation in both locations, adjusted for COL, along with the difference in dollar and percentage terms. Remember, these are estimates—always consult multiple sources when making career decisions.

How It Works

This cost of living adjusted total compensation comparison tool calculates the real value of your compensation by adjusting for differences in living costs. Here’s how:

• First, it computes your total compensation by summing your base salary, bonus (as a percentage of base), and RSUs.
• Next, it applies a cost-of-living multiplier to adjust your TC for the destination city. The multiplier is derived from publicly available data (see Methodology Note). For example, if you move from San Francisco to Austin, your TC is multiplied by ~0.6 to reflect Austin's lower COL.
• The tool also includes a remote work adjustment if you won’t be relocating fully (e.g., hybrid work may warrant a partial adjustment).
• Finally, it outputs the adjusted TC for the destination city, the dollar difference, and the percentage change.

Methodology Note

All data in this tool is labeled as ESTIMATE and should be used for informational purposes only. Here’s how we derive the inputs:

• Cost-of-Living Multipliers: City multipliers are based on Numbeo’s Cost of Living Index and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) regional price parities. These sources provide relative COL differences between cities (e.g., San Francisco’s COL is ~3x Detroit’s). We normalize these to a base of 1.0 for San Francisco.
• Salary and Compensation Data: Default values and ranges are informed by Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn Talent Insights, which aggregate public and reported compensation data. No company-specific data is used.
• Bonus and RSUs: These are hypothetical inputs. Bonus percentages typically range from 10-20% for mid-level tech roles (per Levels.fyi), while RSUs vary widely. Always verify your specific offer.
• Remote Adjustment: This is a rough estimate. Companies may calculate this differently (e.g., some adjust for HQ city, others for residence). The tool provides a simplified approximation.

This tool does not account for taxes, healthcare costs, or other benefits (e.g., 401k matches). For a complete picture, pair this calculator with tax tools (e.g., SmartAsset) and benefits research.

Frequently Asked Questions