Comparison tool
Compare household budgets
Pick any two U.S. cities and see housing, food, childcare, transportation, taxes, and total monthly budget side by side — for a single adult or a family of four. Budgets are composed from federal sources (HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, BEA Regional Price Parities, USDA food plans, IRS/state tax) at the grains documented in methodology.
Popular comparisons
Components range from ZIP or county grain (housing, via HUD SAFMR/FMR) to national grain (CEX-based rows adjusted to state price level via BEA Regional Price Parities). Childcare uses county-grain DOL NDCP 2022, inflated by BLS CPI Child Care subindex. Local income tax modeled for ~3,100+ jurisdictions in 16 states. Not a recommended salary; not a poverty threshold; components are not combined into a composite score. See household budget methodology and family-of-four methodology.