Step 1: Establish your no-move baseline
Start with the pay you have now and the amount that remains each month after actual rent, recurring expenses and reasonable tax assumptions. If you include a bonus, distinguish guaranteed compensation from a performance-dependent payment. Use the same benefit-treatment assumptions in both situations.
Step 2: Build a genuine destination budget
Compare real listings within your commuting range rather than a random citywide average. Ask about deposits, utilities, parking and insurance. If the new employer covers health benefits differently, model that as another expense. A published rent benchmark is useful for a first pass, but the signed lease and individual quotes carry far more weight.
Step 3: Solve for the annual salary threshold
Your required destination salary is the gross amount that produces your baseline monthly remainder in the destination, plus the portion of moving costs you need to recoup over your chosen time horizon. In symbols: required annual gross = 12 × (current monthly remainder + destination rent + destination other expenses + moving cost ÷ horizon months) ÷ (1 − new effective tax rate). This is an algebraic target, not a market wage survey.
Step 4: Separate compensation from relocation support
There may be several ways to close a gap: a higher base salary, a one-time signing payment, employer-paid transport, a temporary housing allowance or a delayed start date that avoids double rent. Each changes the budget differently. A recurring salary increase helps every month; a signing bonus helps early cash flow but does not cover permanently higher housing costs.
Step 5: Use public wage estimates carefully
The BLS median for a metro occupation is a broad survey reference, not a required salary for your experience and responsibilities. Compare the 25th, median and 75th percentiles if available, then consider role level, benefits, shifts and specialized skills. A full-time, overtime-heavy role should not be judged from a base-pay median alone.
One useful sentence for an offer discussion
“After evaluating housing, recurring costs and the one-time move, I estimate that a base salary of $X would make the transition financially workable over Y months. Could we explore the base offer and relocation support together?” Use actual figures rather than a number supplied by an AI model.