US Salary Heatmap 🗺️
Why Cost of Living Matters More Than Salary
A $100,000 salary in San Francisco has the purchasing power of only about $63,000 compared to the national average — because housing, food, and services cost dramatically more. Meanwhile, the same salary in Mississippi has the purchasing power of roughly $114,000. This means where you live can be worth more than a 20–30% raise in some cases.
This tool uses the Regional Price Parity (RPP) index from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), which measures the price level of goods and services by state relative to the national average. A state with an RPP of 115 is 15% more expensive than average; an RPP of 88 is 12% cheaper.
Most vs Least Affordable States for Your Salary
| State | Cost Index | $75K feels like... | Income Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 85 (cheapest) | ~$88,000 | 5% |
| Arkansas | 86 | ~$87,000 | 4.7% |
| Oklahoma | 87 | ~$86,000 | 4.75% |
| Missouri | 88 | ~$85,000 | 4.95% |
| Texas | 95 | ~$79,000 | 0% |
| National avg | 100 | $75,000 | varies |
| New York | 114 | ~$66,000 | 4–10.9% |
| California | 117 | ~$64,000 | 1–13.3% |
| Hawaii | 119 (most expensive) | ~$63,000 | 1.4–11% |
No-Tax States: The Hidden Bonus
Nine states have no state income tax: Texas, Florida, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. For a $100,000 earner, that can translate into several thousand dollars more in annual take-home pay than a higher-tax state, though the exact gap still depends on filing status, deductions, and local tax rules.
However, no-income-tax states often offset this through higher property taxes, sales taxes, or higher costs in other areas. Texas, for example, has property taxes that rank among the highest in the nation — a factor that significantly affects homeowners but not renters.
The Real Cost of Remote Work Location Decisions
The rise of remote work has made location decisions more financially significant than ever. A software engineer earning $130,000 in San Francisco who relocates to Austin, Texas while keeping the same salary gains approximately:
- $8,000–$12,000/year from eliminating California state income tax
- $20,000–$40,000/year in reduced housing costs (median 2BR rent: $3,200 SF vs $1,800 Austin)
- $5,000–$10,000/year from lower food, services, and transportation costs
In scenarios like this, the combined effect can be material enough to rival a meaningful raise. Treat these figures as directional planning context, not as a guaranteed relocation outcome for every worker.
💡 What this map doesn't show: Local city taxes (NYC charges up to 3.876% additional income tax), county taxes, and neighborhood-level cost variation within states. New York City is significantly more expensive than upstate New York, for example. Always research city-specific costs, not just state averages.
When to Use This Map (and When Not To)
The heatmap is most useful in three specific situations — and less useful in others.
Use it when:
- You're evaluating a remote job that pays differently by location and you want to understand the net impact of a relocation
- You're comparing two offers in different states — the map makes the purchasing power difference concrete rather than abstract
- You're trying to understand why colleagues in different markets seem to live better or worse on similar salaries
Don't rely on it alone when:
- You're a homeowner — property taxes vary dramatically within states, and this map uses rental-market cost assumptions
- You're comparing urban vs. rural within the same state — the state average often masks enormous intra-state variation (NYC vs. upstate New York, for example)
For the most accurate picture, combine this map with city-specific cost data from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey or a tool like NerdWallet's cost-of-living calculator.