How it works

One question. Three Data Points. Real User Stories.

Where you live impacts your career growth, your income, and your work/life balance. Three questions help you understand your options and see the costs and benefits of different cities.

01 — Move Value

Will I be better off after I move?

We start with your current salary in your current city, subtract federal, state, and local income tax, then adjust for cost of living. Then we do the same math in the destination. The difference is your day-one delta, expressed in real money — not nominal salary.

Worked example

Your salary, NYC: $130,000
After tax + COL: $57,200 of real purchasing power
Same salary band, Austin: $118,000
After tax + COL: $76,600 of real purchasing power
Move Value: +$19,400 / year

02 — Career Velocity

How does a move impact my career growth?

A 1–10 score specific to your field. We combine four signals: job density per capita, senior role concentration, BLS salary growth rate, and employer diversity. A 9 in tech means SF; a 9 in finance means NYC; a 9 in healthcare admin means Nashville. They aren't the same scale across fields.

Worked example

UX Designer
NYC: 9 / 10 — Leap city
Austin: 7 / 10 — Step-up market
Raleigh: 6 / 10 — Lateral move

03 — 10-Year Outlook

What is the impact over time?

We project two paths — stay vs. move — applying field-specific salary growth, a promotion cadence, and ongoing cost-of-living inflation. The cumulative difference is the number. We show you the assumptions every time, and a confidence band you can widen or narrow.

Worked example

Stay path (10 yrs, real): $1.42M
Move path (10 yrs, real): $1.53M
Net advantage: +$111,000 ± $42,000

That's it. Three numbers, city reviews, and relocation stories from real users.

Real answers for real people. Move Up today for free.

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