Should I Move to Another State?
Compare Current state and New state using after-tax income, housing, recurring costs, and the cost of moving.
Current state
Use annual salary, effective tax rate, and your expected monthly budget.
New state
Enter an offer or salary you could realistically earn after moving.
About the Should I Move to Another State?
State-to-state moves change take-home pay through different tax rates and change your cost of living through housing and everyday expenses — and the two effects don't always move in the same direction. This calculator compares your current state to a prospective one using effective tax rates, monthly housing, other recurring costs, and the one-time cost of the move itself, producing an annual cash-surplus comparison rather than relying on a generic cost-of-living index. It's built for anyone evaluating a job offer in a new state, a remote-work relocation, or a lifestyle move, and it deliberately keeps the comparison to cash flow so you can layer in your own view of schools, climate, family proximity, and other non-financial factors.
How this calculator works
The exact model, assumptions, and limitations used for this decision.
Annual surplus = salary × (1 − effective tax rate) − annual housing − annual other costs − annualized moving cost.
Calculation steps
- Each state's after-tax salary is calculated using its user-entered effective rate.
- Housing and other monthly spending are annualized.
- Moving cost is spread over the selected comparison horizon only for the destination.
Important assumptions
- Tax rates incorporate federal, state, local, and payroll taxes.
- Budgets represent comparable lifestyles.
- Home-sale proceeds, property appreciation, and nonfinancial quality are excluded.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about inputs, assumptions, and interpreting the result.
01Why use effective tax rates?+
Federal, state, local, payroll, filing status, deductions, and credits determine actual take-home pay. Effective rates let you compare total tax burden without pretending salary alone determines tax.
02What belongs in other monthly costs?+
Transportation, utilities, groceries, insurance, childcare, healthcare, and other recurring spending that differs by location.
03How are moving costs treated?+
They are divided across the selected horizon to show their annual drag on the destination's surplus.
04Does the winner mean I should move?+
No. It identifies the stronger entered annual cash position. Employment risk, family, climate, schools, services, and personal preferences remain outside the formula.
05Should home equity be included?+
Include only cash-flow differences here. Use a separate rent-versus-buy or home-sale analysis for equity and transaction costs.
06How should I stress-test the result?+
Increase destination housing, lower the destination salary, raise moving cost, and test a higher effective tax rate.
07How do I compare a specific city rather than a whole state?+
Replace the default salary, tax rate, and housing figures with numbers specific to the metro area you're evaluating — state-level averages can understate or overstate costs in any single city.
08Does the calculator include cost-of-living adjustments some employers offer?+
Only if you enter the adjusted salary directly. If your employer applies a location-based pay adjustment, use the post-adjustment salary figure for the new state.