A Free Numbeo Alternative for US Cities
Compare the cost of living across 1,800+ US cities with official government data — rent, home prices, wages, taxes, and air quality. No paywall. No sign-up.
Compare two cities free
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity indices. Reflects overall cost differences, not taxes or take-home pay. US national average = 100.
CompareLiving.us vs Numbeo
| Feature | CompareLiving.us | Numbeo |
|---|---|---|
| Price to compare cities | ✅ Free | Paid subscription |
| Sign-up required | ✅ No | Account often required |
| Data source | ✅ Official US govt (BEA, Census, BLS, HUD) | Crowd-sourced user submissions |
| US city coverage | ✅ 1,800+ cities | Global, thinner US depth |
| Rent, wages & taxes in one view | ✅ Yes | Partial |
| Salary equivalence calculator | ✅ Yes, free | Limited |
Comparison reflects publicly available information and is provided for general guidance. Numbeo is a trademark of its respective owner; CompareLiving.us is not affiliated with Numbeo.
Why people switch
Always free
No subscription to compare cities — ever.
Government data
BEA, Census, BLS, and HUD — not crowd-sourced guesses.
Built for the US
Deep coverage of 1,800+ US cities and metros.
Popular free comparisons
Free Numbeo Alternative — FAQ
Is CompareLiving.us really free?
Yes. Comparing the cost of living between any two US cities, the salary calculator, and all city and ranking pages are 100% free — no sign-up and no subscription. The site is funded by ads, not by charging you to see the data.
How is it different from Numbeo?
Numbeo is global and built largely on crowd-sourced user submissions, and recently moved its cost-of-living estimator behind a paid subscription. CompareLiving.us focuses on the United States and uses official government datasets — BEA Regional Price Parities, US Census ACS, BLS wages, and HUD rents — so the numbers are consistent and transparent, and it stays free.
Where does the data come from?
Every metric traces back to a public US government source: cost-of-living index from BEA, incomes and rent from the Census Bureau, occupational wages from the BLS, fair-market rents from HUD, and air quality from the EPA. See our methodology page for the exact vintages.
Can I compare salaries and purchasing power between cities?
Yes — the built-in calculator on this page shows the equivalent salary you'd need in a second city to maintain the same standard of living, using BEA cost-of-living indices.