It's very hard to make these kinds of comparison (take a look at the Economist's Big Mac index which attempts to illustrate relative buying power in different p

It's very hard to make these kinds of comparison (take a look at the Economist's Big Mac index which attempts to illustrate relative buying power in different places). Similarly income tax may be low (e.g. Texas) but property taxes, sales tax, and tolls may be high (e.g. Texas) and social services may suck (e.g. Texas). There are some cost of living calculators around which try to calculate equivalent salaries around the US but they have not been more accurate than guesswork in my experience.