How Much
It Really Costs
Explore
$75,000 · Texas · Single

The panels marked with your income use these. A page about one state still prices that state, so you can compare it with your own. Stored on this device only — we never see it.

Your state
Your filing status

The price isn’t what it costs you

$500 doesn’t
cost you $500.

You had to earn the money first.

See what you actually keep, what purchases require you to earn, and how far your salary goes where you live.

State
Filing status
Calculations run on your device.Example numbers until you change them. No sign-up.

Your true-cost receipt

Air conditioner

A $500 purchase in Texas

Air conditioner. One purchase. Estimated gross earnings needed: $769.

Sticker price
$500
Sales tax (8.25%)
+ $41
Income and payroll tax to earn it
+ $228
You must earn
$769of salary

That’s 54% more than the price tag.

2026 estimate
Open the full breakdown Try another purchase
Try a purchase
1 of 20

Swipe or drag, then choose an item. Use the arrow keys to switch purchases.

What do I actually keep?

Paycheck Calculator

See your take-home pay after federal, state and payroll taxes.

Calculate your paycheck

Is moving worth it?

Compare Places

See how far your salary goes in any state, and what it would take to match your lifestyle elsewhere.

Compare states

What does something
really cost?

True Cost Calculator

See the full cost of common purchases including taxes, fees, ownership costs and the income required to afford them.

Explore purchases

More ways to use your numbers

Go from a quick answer to the detail behind it.

See all calculators
A worker reviews a pay envelope at a desk.Work & pay

Explore pay by job

Compare what occupations pay across states and see what you keep.

A cashier hands a printed receipt to a shopper at a store checkout counter.At the register

Calculate sales tax

Check the tax on a purchase using state and local rates.

House keys laid over two maps for comparing a move.Place to place

Compare two states

Put taxes, cost of living and buying power side by side.

Printed source tables and a chart being compared at a desk.Behind the numbers

Explore the source data

Inspect and download the figures behind the calculators.

How “real cost” works

Select a layer to see how it shapes your number.

Full methodology
01 / EARN

Start with your income and location. Your tax brackets determine what each extra dollar is worth.

THE SOURCE LEDGER

Every number has a receipt.

Our calculations use primary sources, show assumptions,
and include the date for every number.

IRSIRSFederal taxesSTATEState revenue departmentsState taxesBEABEAEconomic dataCENSUSCensusPopulation dataBLSBLSLabor data
OUR STANDARD
  • Primary sources wherever available
  • Sources and dates on the detailed pages
  • Clear assumptions and confidence levels
  • Your saved data stays on your device
  • Free to use. No sign-up.
Explore our sources

See the salary behind common purchases. Examples: $75,000 income, Texas, single.

Browse all 91 purchases

See how your money compares

Explore cost of living, taxes and overall buying power across all 50 states.

Explore all states

True Cost of Living Index
(average state = 100)

Less buying powerMore
80100120

States with more buying power

  1. 1South Dakota113.4+13.4%
  2. 2North Dakota112.6+12.6%
  3. 3Arkansas111.3+11.3%

… and less buying power

  1. 49Hawaii86.3-13.7%
  2. 50California85.5-14.5%
  3. 50District of Columbia85.5-14.5%
Index of three example households · higher means more buying power →

Latest research

Clear explanations of how taxes, prices and the economy affect what you really pay.

Browse all articles
Taxes

The multiplier nobody quotes

Why the income behind a purchase is more than the price on its tag.

Read article →
Cost of living

The geography of a purchase

A real-world look at taxes, prices and buying power across the U.S.

Read article →
Purchases

What ownership actually costs

The costs after the purchase — insurance, maintenance and what it really takes to own it.

Read article →

Every purchase and comparison

Each purchase is priced with the sales tax, fees and income it takes in every state.

All 91 purchases
All 22 state comparisons