Job Offer Comparison Calculator

How to Compare Job Offers

A higher base salary doesn't always mean a better offer. Total compensation includes many components that significantly affect your actual financial outcome.

Total Compensation Components

• Base Salary — Your guaranteed annual pay before taxes.
• Annual Bonus — Variable pay, often tied to performance. Use your expected or target amount.
• Equity / RSUs — Stock grants that vest over time. Divide your total grant by vesting years for the annual value.
• 401k Match — Free money. A 4% match on a $100k salary is $4,000/year. Always factor this in.
• Health Insurance — Employer-paid premiums can be worth $5,000–$20,000+ annually. This is real compensation.

Cost of Living Adjustments

$140,000 in Austin, TX goes much further than $140,000 in San Francisco, CA. This calculator normalizes salaries to a national baseline (index = 100) so you can compare purchasing power directly. A $140k salary in SF (index 187) has the equivalent purchasing power of about $75k nationally.

Tax Implications

Federal income tax uses 2024 marginal rates. The calculator applies brackets based on your taxable income (salary + bonus + equity). Note that FICA (Social Security + Medicare), state taxes, and pre-tax deductions like 401k contributions are not modeled here — for a full paycheck breakdown, use the Paycheck Calculator.

What This Calculator Doesn't Model

• State income tax (varies significantly by state)
• Pre-tax 401k contributions reducing taxable income
• FICA taxes (Social Security 6.2%, Medicare 1.45%)
• Stock option strike prices or vesting cliffs
• Perks: PTO, remote work, commute costs, signing bonus

Use the COL-adjusted net pay as your primary comparison metric, then weigh qualitative factors (growth, culture, role) separately.