Real numbers, real places, real life.
What your paycheck actually buys.
Real cost-of-living data, not guesses — live, as you type.
🏙️ 37 U.S. Cities Analyzed
Austin, TX
Median Take-Home
$6,365/mo
No state income tax
Median 1BR Rent
$1,562/mo
25% of take-home pay
Sources: IRS 2025 · Tax Foundation 2025 · HUD FY2026 FMR
🚨 Emergency Buffer Test
If your car needed a $600 repair tomorrow, could you cover it without touching savings?
Yes Comfortably — you'd have about $4,208/mo left after essentials in Austin, TX, well past a $600 repair.
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Your Reality at a Glance
The full financial picture behind one paycheck.
Comfortable
Breathing Room · Austin
At $60-80K, renting alone
💨 Breathing Room
$1,392/mo
24% of take-home · Comfortable
🏠 Housing Pressure
28%
Of take-home pay · Low Pressure
❤️ Healthcare Reality
$462/mo
8% of take-home · On Track
💵 Savings Pace
$834/mo
14% of take-home · On Track
By the Numbers
What Salary Tools Ignore
These real costs can make a big difference in your financial picture.
$777/mo
Self-pay health insurance
KFF 2025
$1290/mo
Avg infant childcare
EPI 2025
$447/mo
Avg student loan payment
DOE 2025
$965/mo
Avg car ownership cost
AAA 2025
$9,325/year Average employer single health premium · $26,993/year Average employer family health premium · $1,290/month Average infant childcare cost · $447/month Standard student loan payment (avg balance, 6.39%, 10yr) · $11,577/year Average cost of owning a new car · $414,900 National median existing home price Q4 2025 · ~28% Grocery price increase since 2021 · ~42% Auto insurance increase since 2021 · $9,325/year Average employer single health premium · $26,993/year Average employer family health premium · $1,290/month Average infant childcare cost · $447/month Standard student loan payment (avg balance, 6.39%, 10yr) · $11,577/year Average cost of owning a new car · $414,900 National median existing home price Q4 2025 · ~28% Grocery price increase since 2021 · ~42% Auto insurance increase since 2021 ·
Plan smarter. Make confident decisions.
Powerful Tools for Life's Big Decisions
📊
Full Cost Calculator
Should I take this job offer? Compare two offers by what they mean after taxes and housing.
Explore Tool →
📈 Market Drift Checker
Am I underpaid? See if your salary has kept pace with the market since you were hired.
🗺️ Where Salary Goes Furthest
Should I move to a new city? See where the same salary buys more house and less rent.
🏠 Life Stage Planner
Can I afford kids, a home, or retiring early? See how big life changes hit your budget.
🎯 Savings Tracker
Am I saving enough? Track your pace against what your goals actually require.
A Reality Check Beyond Numbers
A home, a family, a retirement — the milestones a paycheck has to cover
Financial Flexibility
Moderate · $60–80K
Where a money move helps most, it's noted inline below.
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🏠 Buying a HomeManageable-$2,061/mo
1BR rent $1,562/mo (HUD FY2026) — possible with 3–5 years of saving.
⏳ Delay homeownership 3–5 years: $400–$800/mo — Use that time to build a real down payment.
Explore the full home-buying breakdown →🚗 Owning a CarComfortable-$965/mo
Car ownership fits within your flexible budget.
🚇 Reduce car dependency: $800–$1,200/mo — Transit cities can replace full car ownership. (AAA 2025)
See what car ownership really costs →👶 Raising ChildrenHigh Pressure-$1,290/mo
2BR rent ~$1,852/mo + infant care $1,290/mo (EPI 2025).
See the full cost of raising kids →✈️ Taking VacationsManageable-$166/mo
Budget travel is achievable with planning.
Plan a realistic vacation budget →💳 Staying Out of DebtManageable-$447/mo
Manageable — avoid lifestyle inflation.
🗺️ Move 15–25 min outside the core: $500–$1,200/mo — Same metro, dramatically lower rent.
See your debt risk factors →🏦 Retirement SavingsManageable-$500/mo
Aim for 15% of gross consistently.
Build your retirement roadmap →070809101112
💨 Financial FlexibilityManageable+$150/mo
Flexibility exists but needs active management.
🤝 Split housing costs: $600–$1,400/mo — A roommate is the highest-ROI financial move.
See what's driving your flexibility →🛡️ Emergency PreparednessManageable$0/mo
Possible with consistent small contributions.
🛡️ Build the emergency fund first: Stability — Three months of expenses before investing.
Start your emergency fund plan →🧒 Affording ChildcareHigh Pressure-$1,290/mo
Infant care ($1,290/mo avg) is a major budget line.
Compare childcare options and costs →🎉 Social Life & DatingDifficult-$200/mo
Social spending needs a firm monthly cap.
See your social spending room →🐾 Pet OwnershipComfortable-$200/mo
Pet ownership is comfortable in your budget.
See the full cost of pet ownership →💡 Side Hustle PotentialManageable+$500/mo
A side income stream would noticeably lift breathing room.
🏠 Use your hybrid work advantage: $200–$600/mo — Negotiate remote days to cut commute costs.
Explore side hustle income ideas →"Most Americans are not failing financially — they are navigating extremely different cost realities."
"Small structural changes often create bigger financial improvements than income increases alone."
HUDBLSCensusIRSKFF
The Bigger Picture
What your salary actually bought, then vs. now.
Wages have grown since the 1990s — but so has the cost of everything a paycheck has to cover. Enter your salary below to see it in real terms.
62%
Of Americans live paycheck to paycheck
$1,150
Average monthly budget gap
28%
Housing takes more than 30% of income
3.2x
Price increases vs. wage growth since 1995
Compared at the same dollar amount, 1995 prices vs. 2026 prices.
1995
Median home
1.5 yrs of salary
Rent, share of income
8.8%
Groceries, share of income
4.6%
2026
Median home
5.5 yrs of salary
Rent, share of income
25.3%
Groceries, share of income
9.7%
At $75,000/year, the median home took 1.5 years of salary to buy in 1995 — today it takes 5.5. Rent and groceries eat a bigger share of the same paycheck too. Home price: Census Bureau (1995) / NAR (2025-26). Rent: Census/American Housing Survey (1995) / HUD FY2026 FMR. Groceries: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey.
Compare Cities 6 Ways
Compare across 6 dimensions for deeper clarity
💸 Purchasing Power · 🏘️ Cost of Living · ⭐ Quality of Life · 💼 Career Opportunities · 🏠 Housing Affordability · 🔭 Future Outlook
Compare Cities → Income Reality, By Situation
Remote Workers · Teachers · Nurses · Gig Workers · Single Parents · Early Career · Dual-Income Couples · $60K Salary · $80K Salary · $100K Salary
See All → 📊
100% Data-Driven
Real official sources only
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Updated Quarterly
Always fresh and accurate
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Your data stays local
Top Rankings
The top 3 cities, by category.
Ranked from the same real BLS, HUD, and Census data behind every calculator on this site.
Best Cities for Career Growth
1 San Jose, CA $84,050 median 2 San Francisco, CA $74,260 median 3 Seattle, WA $72,610 median
Cities With the Highest Purchasing Power
1 San Antonio, TX $3,626/mo after rent 2 Pittsburgh, PA $3,547/mo after rent 3 St. Louis, MO $3,528/mo after rent
Best Cities for Remote Workers
1 Washington, DC Walk 98 · Transit 100 2 New York City, NY Walk 88 · Transit 89 3 San Francisco, CA Walk 89 · Transit 77
Best Cities for Families
1 Pittsburgh, PA 2BR $1,299/mo 2 St. Louis, MO 2BR $1,218/mo 3 Kansas City, MO 2BR $1,358/mo
Highest-Paying Cities for Tech
1 San Jose, CA $186,320 tech median 2 San Francisco, CA $167,770 tech median 3 Seattle, WA $156,000 tech median
How We Built This
Every figure on this site is pulled from a named public source — HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS CPI and Consumer Expenditure data, IRS tax tables, Census income data, and KFF healthcare surveys, among others — not an estimate we made up. We refresh the underlying datasets quarterly and cite the source next to the number it supports, so you can check our work instead of taking our word for it.
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