About PriceMyCity

Who We Are

PriceMyCity is built and maintained by Peter M, a Pacific Lutheran University graduate based in Tacoma, Washington. Pete has lived in countries and cities across the globe throughout his life and knows firsthand how much location shapes your finances, your lifestyle, and your family's future. That experience taught him something: the "how much does it cost to live there?" question deserves a better answer than what most of the internet provides.

Why This Site Exists

Moving is one of the biggest financial decisions a person or family can make. The cost of living question isn't academic. It's "can we afford this?" and "what changes if we go?" People deserve clear, honest answers backed by real data. Not crowdsourced guesses, not sponsored content, not a wall of ads with a calculator hidden behind them.

PriceMyCity exists to make the complicated simple and the stressful a little less scary. We present data clearly. We don't tell you what to do. We give you the information you need to make your own decision with confidence.

Where the Data Comes From

We use official government and institutional data sources. No crowdsourcing, no user-submitted prices, no guessing.

Cost of Living IndicesBureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Income, Rent, Home PricesU.S. Census Bureau (ACS)
State Tax RatesTax Foundation
Consumer PricesBureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Rental DataHUD Fair Market Rents
International DataWorld Bank, OECD

Data is updated annually when new government releases are available. Census data typically updates each September. BEA data updates each December. Tax rates are reviewed each January. Every page shows when it was last reviewed.

How the Tools Work

All calculations happen in your browser. When you compare two cities or enter your salary, nothing is sent to our servers. We don't collect, store, or sell your financial information. The comparison tool uses cost of living indices to calculate category-by-category differences. The salary calculator adjusts your income based on the overall cost ratio between two locations and includes simplified federal and state tax estimates.

These are estimates, not predictions. Your actual costs will depend on your neighborhood, lifestyle, family size, and specific financial situation. We always recommend using our tools as a starting point alongside your own research.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or feedback? Reach us at hello@pricemycity.com.

Last updated: April 2026