$90,000 in San Jose ≈ $77,853 in Columbus

$77,853

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (110.4 → 95.5). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Columbus run −13.5% vs San Jose for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

San Jose RPP
110.4
Columbus RPP
95.5
Price gap
−13.5%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Columbus run −13.5% versus San Jose on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in San Jose maps to about $77,853 in Columbus for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Columbus: $77,853

Live math: salary × (95.5 ÷ 110.4). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Columbus

In San JoseIn Columbus
$60,000$51,902
$90,000$77,853
$150,000$129,755

Equivalent = origin salary × (95.5 ÷ 110.4). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentSan JoseColumbusUS
All items110.495.5100
Goods105.293.6100
Housing (rents)211.987.9100
Other services100.398.9100

BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.

Wages in both metros

OccupationSan JoseColumbusDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Computer and Information Systems Managers$291,660$167,630$133,580 to $210,2804,330−42.5%
Lawyers$301,320$137,810$101,100 to $186,8704,960−54.3%
Financial Managers$225,280$145,630$112,880 to $186,6105,750−35.4%
Marketing Managers$231,370$134,420$105,770 to $177,6502,330−41.9%
Nurse Practitioners$231,560$124,580$102,750 to $133,7503,140−46.2%
Human Resources Managers$220,460$131,100$97,990 to $170,5301,870−40.5%
Managers, All Other$217,280$131,580$97,070 to $173,2701,680−39.4%
Sales Managers$201,780$138,580$100,510 to $187,7604,460−31.3%

BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.

FAQ

What salary do I need in Columbus to match $90,000 in San Jose?
About $77,853, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 110.4 and 95.5. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
Does this include taxes or benefits?
No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.

What this covers

Includes

  • BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
  • BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
  • Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)

Does not include

  • Federal, state, or local income taxes
  • Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
  • Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand

See methodology and disclaimer.