Planning to move or relocate?

02Head to head — two places, same income

Pick any two jurisdictions. Hover the local layer for its component taxes.

03Beyond taxes — cost of living & quality of life

Taxes are only one line of the ledger. Pick the two specific cities to compare everything else: living costs, housing, schools, and healthcare. Values are approximate published-index benchmarks (100 = U.S. average) — verify locally before deciding.

04The tax map — every state at a glance

Your total annual tax (federal + self-employment + state + local) if you earned the same income in each state, grouped into four bands: blue is the lowest-tax quarter of states, then green, then orange, with red the highest-tax quarter. States with a major metro that levies its own local income tax are marked — a dot on the map, or a corner square on smaller screens; hover or tap it to see that metro's higher combined bill.

05Tax burden across income — every taxed city

State and local tax as income rises across the range you choose (up to the Max income setting), for every municipality with a local income tax. Federal and self-employment tax are identical everywhere, so this view shows just the part that varies by location — which is what actually separates the cities. Each line is colored by tax burden using the same four bands as the map above (blue lowest, red highest). Tap a name in the legend to hide or isolate it, or switch the Y axis to total tax or effective rate. Assumes 1099 self-employment income for the filing status selected above.

Tip: the legend is scrollable and tappable — isolate a few cities to compare them clearly.

06Relocation radar — rank everything near a ZIP

Enter a ZIP code and a radius. Every jurisdiction in this calculator's database within range is ranked by your total annual tax bill — state differences included. ZIP lookup uses a free public service (zippopotam.us); only the ZIP itself is sent.