Compare 11 US Cities

Why compare cities with the same inputs?

Most city comparisons mix different assumptions: a salary survey from one source, a rent index from another, and a tax estimate that ignores local rules. The Compare Cities tools on Rate and Reason run every city through the same engines used on each city's own calculators, with the same inputs, so any difference you see comes from the cities themselves — their taxes, rents and typical costs.

Taxes: the difference most people underestimate

Federal income tax and FICA are identical everywhere. The spread between cities comes from state and local income taxes and state payroll programs. Among the 11 cities, Houston, Dallas and Miami do not tax wages at all, and Seattle taxes only large capital gains while adding small payroll premiums. Chicago, Atlanta and Boston use flat state taxes. San Francisco and Los Angeles follow California's graduated brackets and 1.3% SDI. Washington DC has its own brackets up to 10.75%, and New York City residents pay New York State and NYC income tax together.

On a six-figure salary, that can mean several thousand dollars a year of difference in take-home pay before rent is even considered. The Take-Home Pay Comparison shows the full ranking for any salary, and the No-Income-Tax City Savings Calculator isolates how much a move to Texas, Florida or Washington would change your paycheck.

Housing: the difference that usually matters most

Rent and home prices vary far more than taxes. A typical one-bedroom in San Francisco or New York can cost more than twice as much as one in Houston or Dallas. That is why a lower-tax city is not automatically cheaper: Miami, for example, has no income tax but high rents and some of the highest home and auto insurance costs in the country. The Rent-to-Income Comparison shows what share of your income typical rent would take in each city.

Other costs that shift the picture

• Property tax: Texas and Cook County homeowners pay around 2% of value a year, while DC, parts of New York City and long-time California owners pay much less.
• Sales tax: Chicago (10.50% from August 2026) and Seattle (10.55%) have some of the highest big-city rates.
• Transportation: In New York, Boston, Chicago, DC and San Francisco many people live without a car; in Houston, Dallas and Atlanta a car is close to essential.
• Childcare: Universal pre-K in DC and New York City and California's transitional kindergarten can save families thousands once a child is old enough.
• Insurance: Hurricanes in Miami and Houston, hail in Dallas and earthquakes on the West Coast change what homeowners and renters pay.

How to use these tools together

Start with the Salary Equivalent Calculator if you are weighing a job offer: it finds the salary in the new city that leaves the same money after taxes and typical costs. Then use the Cost of Living Comparison to see the line-by-line differences, and the Moving Cost Calculator to budget the move itself. For a detailed personal budget in one city, each city's Cost of Living Calculator lets you edit every line.

A note on the estimates

Tax figures come from official sources and are updated yearly. Rent, budget and moving-cost defaults are Rate and Reason starting estimates, not official statistics, and they are labeled that way on every page. They are there to make comparisons consistent; your own numbers will always be more accurate.

Frequently asked questions