Salary and Cost of Living

Maybe you’re thinking about a summer internship in California, or you’re graduating and moving to New York. As you contemplate where you want to live, what kind of job you would like, or even what industry, you will want to research average salaries and cost of living.

The cost of living index is based on the composite price of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, clothing, and entertainment in each city listed. Use these calcula­tions to compare salaries in different cities. Some of these sites list comparative salaries, others offer a variety of advice ranging from company and interview reviews, to industry and job descriptions, to employment projections (outlook for your chosen/potential career).

In addition to the helpful links below, you may want to review money basics (401k, renter’s insurance, and other basics) from this Forbes article 10 Things Every College Grad Needs to Know About Money.

  • PayScale is a salary comparison site that offers helpful articles about evaluating companies/jobs and the corresponding salaries, as well as a salary negotiation guide with helpful tips for job seekers at all levels.
  • Glassdoor provides an inside look at salaries, reviews, and interview questions posted by employees and interview candidates at over 100,000 organizations.
  • Salary.com offers compensation information for individuals, business managers, and human resource professionals.
  • Sperling’s Best Places compares cities and costs.
  • Homefair lets you calculate moving costs, compare schools, and more.
  • Interstride provides country insights with cost of living and relocation info for locations around the world.
  • CareerBliss offers a variety of great tools and resources (salary, company reviews, career advice) to help you make better-informed career decisions.
  • National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) Job Seekers Salary Calculator will ask you for information relating to your education, employment history, and other factors, to create compensation and employment guidance for you.
  • LifeHacker provides a simplified comparison of salary from city to city based on information from Money magazine.
  • Nerdwallet allows you to compare housing, transportation, food, and other costs between major cities in all states, and to research demographic info, employment data, and more.
  • SalaryExpert is a leading provider of online compensation data, including comparison costs between locations.
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook shows industry information, growth projections, and average salary information.
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics shows regional costs, employment trends, and other important career information.