The real cost of a career · state by state
A paycheck means nothing
until you subtract everything.
Pick a career. We rank every U.S. state and metro by what's actually left over after federal & state taxes, rent, groceries, gas, car payments, insurance, childcare, and the rest — built entirely on official public data.
Why this matters now
Paychecks kept up with groceries.
They didn't keep up with the house.
Since 2000, the typical American paycheck has roughly tracked everyday prices — but the cost of a home has pulled far ahead. That gap is the squeeze, and it lands differently in every state. This tool shows where.
Indexed to 100 in 2000 · FRED (BLS CPI-U, Census MSPUS, BLS AHETPI)
Same job, wildly different math
A registered nurse earns a $134k median in California and $66k in Alabama. But the answer to "where are you better off?" only appears after the full cost of living is subtracted.
You choose what counts
Toggle the expenses that apply to your life — a car or not, kids or not, renting or owning, student loans. The ranking recomputes for every location, live.
Real data, shown plainly
BLS wages for 830 occupations across 440 places, NAIC insurance, IRS & state tax schedules, EIA energy, and more. Every number carries its source.