Job offer comparison calculator
Two offers in two places? Enter both to see what each leaves in your account after taxes, what it's worth after local prices, and the salary that would make them equal.
| Per year | Offer A · Texas | Offer B · California |
|---|---|---|
| Pay (salary and bonus) | $95,000 | $110,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$12,070 | −$15,370 |
| Social Security and Medicare | −$7,267 | −$8,415 |
| State and local taxes | $0 | −$8,014 |
| Take-home | $75,663 | $78,201 |
| Offer value (take-home + match + benefits − commute) | $75,663 | $78,201 |
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | 97.1 | 110.7 |
| Value in U.S.-average prices | $77,957 | $70,629 |
Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for the state — what the same things cost there compared with the U.S. average, housing included. It's an average for the whole state, not a budget. The matching salary keeps Offer A's take-home after prices, with the same W-4 and no 401(k) or benefits.
Example: $95,000 in Texas or $110,000 in California
The California offer pays $15,000 more, and takes home $2,538 more a year after California's income tax and SDI ($75,663 vs $78,201). But California's price level is 110.7 against Texas's 97.1, so after prices the Texas offer is worth $7,328 more. To match the Texas offer after prices, California would have to pay $123,864.
How it's worked out
- Take-home in each state from the same engine as our paycheck calculators: IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Social Security and Medicare, and each state's own withholding formula, payroll premiums and default form choices.
- Prices from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities for 2024 (released 2026-02-19): each state's price level for everyday spending, with the U.S. at 100. Dividing take-home by it puts both offers in the same dollars.
- The matching salary is found by searching salaries in the second state until its take-home, after prices, equals the first — to the cent.
The offer value adds your employer's 401(k) match and other benefits to take-home and subtracts commute or remote-work costs, as you enter them. It doesn't value paid time off, job security or career growth — weigh those yourself. Taxes on a bonus are worked out as part of the year's pay; the paycheck it arrives in may have a different amount withheld (see the bonus tax calculator).
The 40 most common moves
Pairs of states with the most people moving between them, from the Census Bureau's 2024 migration flows:
California vs Texas · Florida vs Texas · New Jersey vs New York · Florida vs Georgia · Arizona vs California · Florida vs New York · California vs Nevada · California vs Washington · New Jersey vs Pennsylvania · North Carolina vs South Carolina · Florida vs North Carolina · Florida vs Pennsylvania · California vs New York · Florida vs Virginia · Maryland vs Virginia · Oregon vs Washington · New York vs Pennsylvania · California vs Florida · North Carolina vs Virginia · Colorado vs Texas · California vs Oregon · Oklahoma vs Texas · New York vs Texas · Louisiana vs Texas · Minnesota vs Wisconsin · Illinois vs Texas · Georgia vs Texas · Connecticut vs New York · Kansas vs Missouri · Illinois vs Indiana · Florida vs Ohio · California vs Virginia · Illinois vs Wisconsin · Florida vs Michigan · Florida vs Illinois · Massachusetts vs New York · California vs Colorado · California vs Illinois · Florida vs New Jersey · Florida vs Tennessee
Moving with the same job? Use the salary needed to move calculator, or compare the same salary in two states.
Sources
- BEA — Real Personal Consumption Expenditures by State and Real Personal Income by State, 2024 (Feb 19, 2026) — Regional Price Parities: California 110.7, Hawaii 110.0, D.C. 109.9, New Jersey 108.8 highest; Arkansas 86.9 lowest; full table SARPP in BEA's interactive data (checked 2026-09-27)
- FRED (St. Louis Fed) — 2024 Regional Price Parities by State (BEA data) — all items, goods, rents and other services for every state and D.C. (checked 2026-09-27)
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
- Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500
- U.S. Census Bureau — State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024 (ACS 1-year, Table 1) — movers age 1 and over by current state and state of residence one year earlier; estimates with margins of error (checked 2026-09-27)
Questions
How do I compare two job offers in different states?
Compare what each leaves after taxes, then adjust for prices. Federal tax is the same everywhere; state income tax, state payroll premiums and prices differ. This calculator does both steps with each state's own rules and BEA's price levels.
Is $110,000 in California better than $95,000 in Texas?
It takes home more — $78,201 vs $75,663 a year for a single filer — but after BEA price levels the Texas offer is worth $7,328 more. California would need to pay $123,864 to match.
Where does the cost-of-living figure come from?
The Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities for 2024, an official price level for each state compared with the U.S. average. It's a state average, not a budget — city costs, and especially rents, can differ a lot.