Cost Of Living Calculator
A cost of living calculation adds up the bills you pay every month and compares them with what you earn. The gap between the two is the number that decides how much room there is for saving, debt repayment or anything else.
Money left over
$500.00
- Total monthly expenses
- $3,000.00
- Share of income spent
- 85.71%
- Left over per year
- $6,000.00
Values update as you type. This calculator covers the single scenario its formula assumes — see Common Mistakes for what it leaves out.
The formula this calculator uses
Total = Housing + Food + Transport + Utilities + Other; Leftover = Income - Total
- Housing
- Rent or mortgage payment
- Food
- Groceries and regular food spend
- Transport
- Fuel, transit or car costs
- Income
- Monthly take-home pay
How to check the result by hand
- 1
List the regular bills
Start with housing, then food, transport, utilities and anything else that recurs every month.
- 2
Add them up
The total is the committed monthly cost of the life you are living.
- 3
Subtract from income
Monthly take-home pay minus the total is the leftover, which is what can be saved or invested.
- 4
Compute the share of income
Divide the total by income to see the percentage the bills consume.
- 5
Compare scenarios
Change one line at a time to see what a move, a refinance or a cheaper commute is actually worth.
For worked examples, common mistakes and the limits of this formula, read the full How To Calculate Cost Of Living page.