This Page provides links to various Cost of Living Calculators along with instructions for their use.  Interestingly different calculators provide different results. As a sample I compared the cost of living in two cities I am personally familiar with, Richmond, VA and Albany, NY.  Our Cost of Living calculator said that if you earned $50,000 in Richmond the equivalent salary in Albany would be $53,221. while another said the equivalent would be $48,700 Based upon my personal experience I would say that our number would be much more likely, although it may depend on the time of year.  Heating costs are definitely higher in Albany while cooling costs are higher in Richmond. 

If  you would like to find the definitive Cost of Living  for specific items in a variety of US cities  as easy as 1,2, 3. Use this Cost of Living Calculator from the Bureau of Labor statistics. 

• Step 1 select an area in window number 1. You can choose from the entire US city average or narrow your search down to the cost of living in various different configurations. Like the cost of  goods in cities with more than 1.5 million people.  Or choose cost of living items for Northeast urban areas including NY, NJ, Long Island, CT,  and PA. Or you can narrow your search for living costs down to specific cities like Atlanta or Dallas-Fort Worth. 
• Step 2 select select which type of cost of  living items you are interested in finding. Do you want all items or just food and beverages. Or The cost of Housing or the cost of Fuel and transportation. Once you have chosen which living costs you are interested in, go to... 
• Step 3 Select whether you are interested in Costs of Living that are seasonally adjusted or not seasonally adjusted.
• Step 4 Finally, click "Get Data" to find the result of your Cost of Living Search.

This Cost of Living calculator from the National Association of Realtors has a nice looking comparison of cost of living in hundreds of U.S. Cities. Although they have a nicely laid out site their results are a bit suspect. In addition to their Cost of Living calculator, this site also provides calculators for a variety of other comparisons useful to people who are considering moving including school information, crime, salaries, communities, rent vs. buy and many other useful items. Hopefully that information is more accurate.

Definition*: cost-of-living index

An inflationary indicator that measures the change in the cost of a fixed basket of products and services, including housing, electricity, food, and transportation. The cost-of-living index is published monthly. Also called Consumer Price Index (CPI).  Follow these links for more information on the Consumer Price Index and Current,  Historical Inflation rates and International Inflation Rate Links.

A major component of your cost of living is your mortgage. If you are moving and looking for a new Mortgage you can compare rates from many lenders at our mortgage page. You might also want to read the adjacent article about Low Mortgage Rates- Reduce your Payment or the length of the Loan?

*According to InvestorWords.com

For More Information

• Cost of Living Calculator