Compare Cost of Living Between States
Pick any two states to compare taxes, housing, income, and everyday costs side by side — and see what salary you'd need in one state to match your lifestyle in the other.
Take-home pay on $100,000
California
$74,126/yr take-home
$6,177/mo · 25.9% effective tax
- Federal tax
- $13,170
- State tax (1.0%–13.3%)
- $5,054
- FICA
- $7,650
Texas
$79,180/yr take-home
$6,598/mo · 20.8% effective tax
- Federal tax
- $13,170
- State tax (None)
- $0
- FICA
- $7,650
You keep $5,054 more per year in Texas ($421/mo) from income tax alone — before housing and other costs, below.
The numbers
Monthly cost of living · renting
Salary equivalence
$100,000 in California buys the same lifestyle as $69,599 in Texas
For a household of 1 adult, renting. Texas's cost of living is 78.0% of California's, and the figure accounts for both states' income taxes. Home price is an asset; this compares monthly living cost. An estimate, not financial advice.
Popular state comparisons
How salary equivalence works
A dollar goes further in some states than others. The salary-equivalence figure answers a practical question: to keep the same standard of living after a move, what would you need to earn? We take your after-tax income in the first state, adjust it for the cost-of-living difference between the two states, and then work out the gross salary in the second state that leaves you with the same purchasing power — accounting for each state's income tax.