How It Works | Should I Take This Job?

The Problem

You get a job offer in a new city. The salary looks good on paper. But how do you know if it's actually a good deal?

Most people just compare raw salary numbers, but that doesn't tell the whole story. $100,000 in New York City is very different from $100,000 in Austin, Texas.

Our Solution

This calculator does three things in 30 seconds:

1. Compares Your Offer to Market Rate

We maintain salary data for five tech roles — Software Engineer, Project Manager, Product Manager, Data Analyst, and UX Designer — across 60 major US cities, broken down by experience level (junior, mid-level, and senior). When you enter your offer, we immediately tell you if it's above market, at market, or below market for your role and experience level in that specific city.

2. Calculates Real Income After Cost of Living

This is the most important part. We adjust both your current salary and your new offer based on cost of living indexes for each city. This shows you your actual purchasing power—how much money you'll really have after accounting for rent, food, transportation, and other living expenses.

For example: A $95,000 offer in Denver might give you more real spending power than $120,000 in San Francisco, even though the San Francisco number is higher.

3. Gives You a Clear Verdict

Based on the data, we tell you:

TAKE IT - The offer is above market and increases your real income

NEGOTIATE - The salary looks good but your real purchasing power would drop

PASS - The offer is below market rate for your experience

FAIR OFFER - It's reasonable, but other factors should guide your decision

The Data Behind It

Salary data is anchored to BLS OEWS (May 2024):

Software Developer (SOC 15-1252): $133,080 national median
Project Management Specialist (SOC 13-1082): $108,100 national median
Web & Digital Interface Designer (SOC 15-1255): $98,090 national median
Data Analyst tier: ~$95,000 (BLS 15-2051 25th–50th percentile range)
Product Manager: market-anchored (no direct BLS SOC code exists)

National medians are adjusted to each city using BLS regional wage indices, with a 5% forward factor applied to reflect early 2026 conditions. Junior and senior ranges use BLS 25th and 75th percentile ratios respectively — not guesses.

Cost of living data includes:

Average rent (1-bedroom apartments) per city
Cost of living indices based on C2ER (Council for Community and Economic Research) data

What This Tool Can't Do

This calculator gives you a data-driven starting point, but it can't account for:

Benefits packages (health insurance, 401k match, stock options)
Career growth opportunities
Company culture and team quality
Personal factors (family, lifestyle preferences, weather)
Commute time and costs
Remote work flexibility

Use our verdict as a foundation, then factor in these other elements to make your final decision.

Questions?

The tool is straightforward, but if something isn't clear, feel free to reach out. Good luck with your decision!