About CityTown

For each job and place, we start from the typical salary and subtract the costs that come out of almost every paycheck. What remains is the amount you have for savings, debt and everything else.

1. 1

   Typical salary

   The median annual wage for the job in the metro area, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Where BLS publishes no metro figure we use the statewide median and say so. You can also enter your own salary.

2. 2

   Federal income tax

   2026 IRS brackets and the standard deduction for a single filer with wage income only.

3. 3

   Payroll taxes

   Social Security (6.2% up to the 2026 wage cap) and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on high earnings), plus the state programs withheld from wages in some states, such as California SDI and paid family leave.

4. 4

   State income tax

   Each state's 2026 brackets, deductions and credits. Nine states have no tax on wages.

5. 5

   Local income tax

   City and county wage taxes where residents pay them, such as New York City, Philadelphia and the Ohio cities.

6. 6

   Rent

   HUD's Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom home, averaged across the city's ZIP codes by population. A fair market rent is close to the 40th percentile of what recent movers pay.

7. 7

   Everyday costs

   Food, transportation, healthcare and utilities for one person: national spending from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, brought to today's prices with the CPI and adjusted for local prices with BEA Regional Price Parities.

These are typical figures for a single person, not financial advice. Your own taxes and costs depend on your household, deductions and where exactly you live.

Pay over time

Salary pages show the statewide and US median for each job from May 2015 to May 2025, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, in dollars of each year and in 2025 dollars using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). BLS changed its job codes in 2019 to 2021; for the few jobs whose definition changed, the series starts in 2021. A year BLS doesn’t publish stays empty.

Comparing two places

The compare tool runs the same calculation for any two cities or states, at three pay levels: the 25th percentile, the median and the 75th percentile of what the job pays there (BLS). A state uses statewide pay, rent and everyday costs, and no city income tax. If you enter your salary, we scale it to the other place by how pay for the job differs there.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Wages by occupation, state and metro area. Updated every spring.

HUD Fair Market Rents

Rents by bedroom count for every metro area and ZIP code. Updated each fiscal year.

Census Bureau, American Community Survey

Population, household income, commutes and housing costs. Updated yearly.

BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey and CPI

What households spend on food, transportation, healthcare and utilities, and how prices have changed since.

BEA Regional Price Parities

How price levels in each state and metro area compare with the US average.

FCC National Broadband Map

Internet providers, technologies and speeds for every home and building. Updated twice a year.

FMCSA

Registration, insurance and safety records for interstate movers.

CityTown is run by Devonil. Contact Devonil.