Salary Equivalency & Relocation Calculator
Pick two cities and your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to maintain the same housing-cost standard of living after moving.
To maintain a $75,000 lifestyle in Austin, you need roughly $85,000 in Denver.
| Metric | Austin, TX | Denver, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Median Rent | $1,549/mo | $1,665/mo |
| Median Home Value | $461,500 | $540,400 |
| Median Household Income | $86,556 | $85,853 |
Rent in Denver is +7% vs Austin (+$116/mo). Estimated monthly principal & interest is +$421/mo different.
How this is calculated: each city's median gross rent and median home-purchase cost are each measured against the national median and averaged with equal coefficients into one housing-cost index, and your salary is scaled by the ratio of the two cities' indices. Because home values vary far more between cities than rents do, the home-purchase side moves this figure more than the rent side for most pairs — so renters and buyers can see meaningfully different real-world numbers for the same two cities. Housing costs only: this ignores taxes, transport, childcare, and wages. Treat it as a rounded starting point for negotiation, not a precise target.
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2022). Last updated July 2026.
The home-purchase side assumes a 20% down payment and a 30-year fixed loan at 7.03% (the current Freddie Mac national average as of September 2026). Principal and interest only — it does not include property tax, insurance, or HOA fees, which vary significantly by location.