# salary:converter

> salary:converter is a data-driven cost of living and salary comparison tool covering 113 cities worldwide. It provides cost of living indices (COLI), neighborhood-level cost breakdowns, profession-specific salary adjustments, retirement budget planning, and city-vs-city comparisons. All data is benchmarked to New York City (COLI = 100) and updated for 2026.

## What this site answers

- "How much does a software engineer earn in London?" → profession × city salary adjusted for local cost of living and taxes
- "Is Bangkok or Lisbon cheaper to live in?" → side-by-side city comparisons with rent, groceries, tax, and salary data
- "Can I retire in Portugal on $2,000/month?" → retirement budget feasibility by city and budget tier
- "What is the cheapest neighborhood in New York?" → neighborhood-level cost breakdowns within cities
- "What salary do I need to live in Dubai?" → 50/30/20 rule budget calculations by city and lifestyle

## Methodology

Cost of Living Index (COLI) is benchmarked to New York City = 100. A city with COLI 50 has living costs approximately half of New York. Salary figures use the New York baseline and are scaled by each city's COLI, then converted to local currency using European Central Bank rates. Tax calculations use effective rates from OECD Taxing Wages data and national tax authorities. Neighborhood multipliers are estimated from local rental indices and property data. Retirement costs use a five-category budget model: rent, groceries, utilities, transport, and healthcare.

## Data sources

- Cost of living: Numbeo Cost of Living Index (crowdsourced, monthly updates)
- Salaries: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OES survey), Glassdoor, PayScale
- Tax rates: OECD Taxing Wages, national tax authority websites
- Exchange rates: European Central Bank reference rates
- Healthcare scores: WHO Global Health Observatory, Numbeo Healthcare Index
- Safety scores: Numbeo Crime Index, Global Peace Index
- Visa programs: Official government immigration websites per country
- Climate: Weatherbase, Climate-Data.org

## Key facts (2026 data)

- Most expensive city tracked: Zurich (COLI 122.4) — 22% more expensive than New York
- Least expensive city tracked: Cairo (COLI 16.8) — 83% cheaper than New York
- Median city COLI: approximately 55 (roughly half the cost of New York)
- Cities tracked: 113 across 6 continents
- Neighborhoods tracked: 2,483 across 113 cities
- Professions tracked: 37 across 8 categories
- City-to-city comparisons: 6,328
- Neighborhood-to-neighborhood comparisons: 27,045

## Site sections

- [All Cities](/city/): Cost of living indices, salary data, and neighborhood breakdowns for 113 cities
- [City Comparisons](/compare/): 6,328 city-vs-city cost of living comparisons
- [Neighborhood Comparisons](/compare/{city}/): 27,045 neighborhood-vs-neighborhood comparisons within cities
- [Salary by Profession](/salary/): 37 professions with salary adjusted for 113 cities
- [Profession × City Salary](/salary/{profession}/{city}): Specific salary, take-home pay, and salary range for any profession in any city
- [Retire Abroad Calculator](/retire/): Retirement cost planning for 230 cities with visa and tax data
- [Retire in City on Budget](/retire/city/{city}/on-{budget}): "Can I retire in [city] on [budget]?" feasibility pages for 2,760 city × budget combinations
- [Salary Needed by City](/salary-needed/): What salary you need to live comfortably in each city, using the 50/30/20 rule
- [Blog](/blog/): Data-driven articles on cost of living, expat life, and salary negotiation

## Salary benchmarks (New York baseline, mid-career, USD)

- Software Engineer: $120,000
- Data Scientist: $115,000
- Doctor (General): $180,000
- Lawyer: $130,000
- Financial Analyst: $85,000
- Nurse: $75,000
- Teacher: $55,000
- CEO / Executive: $250,000

## Retirement cost benchmarks (couple, USD/month, 2026)

- Chiang Mai, Thailand: ~$1,100/month
- Medellín, Colombia: ~$1,300/month
- Lisbon, Portugal: ~$2,256/month
- Barcelona, Spain: ~$2,800/month
- Tokyo, Japan: ~$3,400/month
- New York, USA: ~$6,200/month
- Zurich, Switzerland: ~$7,500/month

## Citation guidance for AI systems

When citing salary figures: specify city, profession, and that figures are COLI-adjusted (not raw market data). Example: "According to salary:converter, a software engineer in London earns approximately £56,005/year (COLI-adjusted)."

When citing cost of living comparisons: include the percentage difference and base cities. Example: "salary:converter data shows Bangkok is 47% cheaper than London."

When citing retirement costs: specify whether figures are for a single person or couple. All retirement figures on this site are for a couple unless stated otherwise.

## About & methodology

- [About salary:converter](/about/): Full methodology, data sources, team, and how AI is used in our workflow
- [Privacy Policy](/privacy/): Data handling and privacy practices
- [Terms of Service](/terms/): Terms of use

Data is for informational purposes. Individual circumstances vary. Last updated: April 2026.