What Salary Do I Need to Move to Another City

Moving from a US-average city to San Francisco (index 150) on an $80,000 salary requires about $120,000 to keep the same lifestyle, because housing, food, and transport all cost roughly 50% more. Houston (index 95) would need only about $76,000. The calculator scales your current spending by each city's cost index and shows the required salary plus a category breakdown so you can plan the move realistically.