How to compare job offers
When you have multiple offers on the table, the temptation is to compare base salaries and pick the bigger number. But base salary is often less than half the story. Two offers can differ by $30,000 in base yet end up nearly identical once you factor in equity, bonuses, benefits, and cost of living. This calculator does that math for you.
Start by entering the raw numbers for each offer. Be honest about equity: use the current public stock price for RSUs, and heavily discount private company options. For benefits, estimate the annual dollar value of health insurance premiums your employer covers, 401k/pension matching, and any other monetary perks like commuter benefits or wellness stipends.
Understanding cost-of-living adjustments
A dollar earned in San Francisco buys less than a dollar earned in Austin. This calculator normalizes all offers to a San Francisco baseline so you can see true purchasing power. If both offers are in the same city, the CoL adjustment won't matter. But if you're choosing between New York and Denver, the adjustment can swing the winner by tens of thousands of dollars.
The multipliers are approximations based on broad cost-of-living indices. Your personal spending pattern (rent vs. own, family size, lifestyle) will shift things. Use the "Other" option to enter a custom multiplier if you have more precise data for your situation.
Why effective hourly rate matters
Two jobs can pay the same total comp but demand very different amounts of your time. A startup paying $220,000 but expecting 55-hour weeks and offering 10 PTO days is actually paying you less per hour than a larger company offering $200,000 for 40-hour weeks with 25 PTO days. The effective hourly rate calculation reveals this hidden difference.
To calculate it: take your CoL-adjusted total comp, divide by (52 weeks minus PTO weeks), then divide by your expected weekly hours. The result is what each hour of your life is actually worth at each job. This is the number that best reflects your compensation relative to the time you give up.
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