Salary & Cost of Living Comparison Calculator
Compare salaries between cities and countries to see where your income goes further — take-home pay, housing, everyday expenses, savings potential and purchasing power.
Compare take-home pay, housing, everyday expenses, savings potential and purchasing power between two locations — so you can judge whether a move or job offer is actually better after taxes and living costs.
1Your current location
Current salary
0 if none
0 if not applicable
2New location / job offer
Proposed salary / package
0 if none
Dual-income households
3Household
4Lifestyle & housing
5Goals & buffer
Inflates estimated expenses for relocation uncertainty
Money sent abroad from projected savings
In AED currency
Advanced options — customize expenses
Override any line with your own monthly amount (destination currency). Leave blank to keep estimates.
How this calculator works
How the Salary & Cost of Living Calculator works
Enter your current location and the city or job offer you are considering. We estimate take-home pay (where tax models exist), build a household budget from city midpoints and your lifestyle, then compare disposable income, savings rate and purchasing power.
What is a cost-of-living-adjusted salary?
It is the salary you would need in a new city to keep roughly the same leftover money after essential and lifestyle costs. A higher headline salary can still leave you worse off if rent, school fees and daily costs rise faster.
Gross salary vs take-home salary
Gross is before tax and mandatory contributions. Take-home (net) is what hits your account. Always compare packages on estimated net plus benefits — especially when one country has little or no personal income tax.
Cost of living vs purchasing power
Cost of living measures how expensive a place is. Purchasing power measures how far your income goes after those costs. Currency conversion alone does not equal purchasing power.
How much salary do I need to move abroad?
Use Equivalent salary mode with your current city and pay. The calculator estimates a lifestyle break-even, a savings-rate break-even, and a recommended negotiation range with an optional living-cost buffer.
FAQs
- How is this different from the Budget Planner?
- Budget Planner is for your personal monthly cashflow in one place. This tool answers relocation questions: is this salary good in this city, what would I need elsewhere, and how do two locations compare on real purchasing power.
- Is a higher salary always better in another country?
- No. Taxes, rent, schooling and everyday costs can erase a headline raise. Compare disposable income and purchasing power, not gross pay alone.
- How do I calculate an equivalent salary in another city?
- Choose Equivalent salary, enter both cities and your current pay. We estimate the destination take-home needed to cover similar living costs and keep a similar savings buffer.
- How much more salary should I ask for when relocating?
- Aim at least for the savings-equivalent target, then add a 5–15% living-cost buffer. The Recommended negotiation range in results is built for that conversation.
- Does this calculator include tax?
- Yes — simplified take-home estimates for supported countries. Gulf packages are treated as roughly tax-free for personal income. Figures are labelled as estimates, not filing advice.
- Does cost of living include rent?
- Yes. Housing is usually the largest line item. You can use our city estimate or enter your own rent, and adjust area, property type and employer housing.
- Can I compare salaries in different currencies?
- Yes. Each city uses its local currency for salary and costs. Cross-city comparisons use illustrative FX for purchasing-power math — FX is kept separate from lifestyle conclusions.
- How accurate are cost-of-living estimates?
- They are curated city midpoints for planning, not live quotes. Neighbourhood, timing and habits vary. Use Data confidence on results and edit expenses when you know better numbers.
- Why do you ask about household and housing?
- A salary that works for one person can be tight for a family with international school fees. Housing and children usually dominate expat budgets more than restaurant prices.