Sample: fictional household
Decision Pack
New York City to London
Two adults, 2 children
Prepared 2026-08-27
How to read this
- Start with the break-even. One number: the salary in London that leaves this household where it is today, after tax, housing, healthcare and childcare.
- Then read the breakdown. Every line carries the source it came from and when that source was last reviewed. Nothing here is a round number somebody guessed.
- Take section 4 into the room. It is written to be said out loud. Section 7 gives your recruiter a concise summary.
Table of Contents
- 1The break-evenThe salary that leaves you level, and the three lines that decide it
- 2Where the money goesEvery cost in both cities, each with its source and review date
- 3What would change the answerOne input moved at a time
- 4What to ask forYour number against what the destination pays
- 5Getting thereWhat the move itself costs before the first paycheck
- 6How reliable each number isWhat to quote and what to check, named line by line
- 7Recruiter one-pagerYour target, the costs behind it, and a short script
- 8Sources and methodologyEvery source, in full
Your chosen inputs
- Current salary
- $180,000
- Partner income
- $80,000
- Children
- 2 (ages 4, 8)
- Home
- 3 bedroom, renting
- Retirement saving
- 6% of salary
- Inbound tax regime
- not applied
The controls are on the report itself: change your salary, add a child, move the home assumption, and the page re-renders on the spot, as often as you like.
Change the scenario
(This sample uses one fixed household, so these controls are switched off.)
Salaries are in GBP, because that is what you would be quoted and would negotiate in. Costs are in USD, because that is the money you can judge. Built from living data on 2026-08-27, so a later correction to a source can move a number here.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-27
Section 1The break-even
£103,816
This is the London salary that keeps this household at its current level after taxes and living costs.
About $140,673 in the currency you earn today.
No offer was entered, so this report answers what the move would have to pay.
Biggest annual cost differences
- TaxesNew York City $76,208London $58,776$17,433 lower per year in London
- HealthcareNew York City $14,828London $2,195$12,633 lower per year in London
- TransitNew York City $14,500London $6,572$7,928 lower per year in London
What the money does not show
- Statutory vacation
- 20 days vs 0 days
- Public holidays
- 8 days vs 11 days
- Paid parental leave
- 41 weeks vs 24 weeks
London first, New York City second. These are statutory minimums. An employer may offer more. Vacation and public holidays are counted separately because no statute grants a combined total.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-27
Section 2Where the money goes
Both columns are annual and in USD, the currency you earn in today, with London priced at the break-even salary from section 1.
| Line | New York City, USD | London, USD |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes | $76,208 | $58,776 |
Sources for Taxes
| ||
| Housing | $65,649 | $65,682 |
Sources for Housing
| ||
| Property tax | $0 | $0 |
Sources for Property tax
| ||
| Healthcare | $14,828 | $2,195 |
Sources for Healthcare
| ||
| Childcare | $38,400 | $34,146 |
Sources for Childcare
| ||
| Food | $25,800 | $19,675 |
Sources for Food
| ||
| Transit | $14,500 | $6,572 |
Sources for Transit
| ||
| Discretionary spending | $6,500 | $7,046 |
Sources for Discretionary spending
| ||
| Travel home | $0 | $4,065 |
Sources for Travel home
| ||
| Total cost | $241,885 | $198,158 |
These are costs only. The break-even salary in section 1 is what it takes to cover them and still leave this household the same cash in hand, which is why it is not simply the difference between the two totals.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-27
Section 3What would change the answer
Each row changes one input and leaves everything else alone, so the number beside it is that input's own weight.
- Partner does not workTarget annual cash changes by -62,625 USD.
- One more child in paid careTarget annual cash changes by -31,012 USD.
- Own outrightTarget annual cash changes by 53,171 USD.
If rent lands high or low
Housing is the input most likely to move, and it moves the break-even with it. Across the observed rent band, the salary you need runs £90,989 to £129,560.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-27
Section 4What to ask for
£105,000 to £145,000
The low end is the first 5,000 increment at or above the salary that leaves your household at break-even. The recommended opening target rounds this destination's measured upper quartile to the next 5,000.
- Break-even salary£103,816
- Market median£99,953
- Measured upper quartile£140,300
- Recommended opening target£145,000
Use the salary evidence
London costs less overall for this household, so the cost comparison does not support a higher salary. Build the ask around the break-even salary and London market range above.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-27
Section 5Getting there
$28,844 to $55,648
What the move itself costs, before the first paycheck.
- UK visas and health surcharge $13,846 to $24,104This is for one adult dependant and two children. The low end assumes three-year visas and the high end assumes five-year visas. Most of the range is the UK Immigration Health Surcharge paid upfront.Your employer covers $5,317 to $9,205 of the sourced band on top of this.
- Shipping your belongings $3,700 to $15,600Moving fewer belongings can pull shipping lower. Furniture from a 3-bedroom home can push it higher.
- Flights $1,000 to $2,800Fares scale with the travelers in your household.
- Temporary housing on arrival $4,743 to $6,369This uses the destination's 3-bedroom rent as its base.
- Rental deposit $5,556 to $6,775This uses the destination's 3-bedroom rent as its base.Refundable, so this is cash up front rather than a cost.
Your destination choice is renting, so the estimate includes a rental deposit and excludes home-sale costs.
Shipping estimates do not include furnishing a home at the destination.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-27
Section 6How reliable each number is
11 of 18 lines are sourced and graded without a caveat: quote them as printed, and the appendix carries the citation for each. The rest are sorted below by what to do about them, never averaged into a score, because an average would hide exactly the line you should check.
Check these against a quote of your own
The grade on the source behind each of these is low, so the figure is directional. If one of them is deciding your answer, price it against a real quote before you commit.
- Childcare, New York City. Graded low, reviewed 2026-05-16.
Graded, with ungraded inputs inside
These lines are built from several sources, and the grade shown comes from the graded ones. The count says how many inputs our grading pass has not reached; every input is still cited in the appendix.
- Taxes, London. Graded high, reviewed no later than 2026-05-15; 5 of 6 sources inside it are not yet graded.
Sourced and dated, awaiting grades
Each of these carries a named source and a review date in the appendix; our grading pass has not reached them. Read them the way you read the graded market lines, and check the largest one locally if it decides your answer.
- Childcare, food, transit, discretionary spending and travel home, London.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-27
Set your target
This sample uses the default target from the current ask band and cannot be changed here.
Section 7Recruiter one-pager
New York City to London
Two adults, 2 children · 2026-08-27
£145,000
Selected target salary in London. £41,184 above the modeled break-even.
Target relationships
- Break-even relationship£41,184 above the modeled break-even.
- Increase from current base salary9% above your current base salary
- Market positionRecommended opening target, rounded from the measured upper quartile of £140,300.
“For this New York City to London move, I am targeting £145,000. That is £41,184 above the modeled break-even. I based that number on my household break-even and the London market range.”
Built from published statutory rates and market data on 2026-08-27. Method and sources: cityparity.com/methodology/
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-27
Section 8Sources and methodology
Each sensitivity row varies one input.
This report uses living data and may change when CityParity corrects or updates a source.
Shipping estimates do not include furnishing a home at the destination.
Source receipts
- Taxes, New York City. 9 sources, reviewed no later than 2026-05-16
- NYC Dept of Finance / NY Dept of Taxation, NYC resident tax schedule https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/file/tax-tables/, reviewed 2026-07-31
- IRS Rev Proc 2025 / OBBBA 2026 https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2026-including-amendments-from-the-one-big-beautiful-bill, reviewed 2026-05-16
- NYS Dept of Taxation and Finance, Form IT-201-I (2025) tax computation worksheets, pp. 34-39 https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/2025/inc/it201i_2025.pdf (year-stamped permalink; the /pdf/current_forms/it/it201i.pdf alias rolls to the next tax year and will stop matching these TY2025 constants), reviewed 2026-08-01
- IRS, "401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026" https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/401k-limit-increases-to-24500-for-2026-ira-limit-increases-to-7500 ; Notice 2025-67 https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-67.pdf, reviewed 2026-08-11
- SSA 2026 wage base, reviewed 2026-05-16
- IRS 2026 OBBBA, reviewed 2026-05-16
- NYS Dept of Taxation and Finance, IT-201-I (2025) New York State tax rate schedule https://www.tax.ny.gov/forms/html-instructions/2025/it/it201i-2025.htm, reviewed 2026-08-01
- NY State Paid Family Leave 2026 maximum annual employee contribution ($411.91) https://paidfamilyleave.ny.gov/cost, reviewed 2026-07-31
- NY State Paid Family Leave 2026 employee contribution rate https://paidfamilyleave.ny.gov/cost, reviewed 2026-07-31
- Housing, New York City. StreetEasy / Brick Underground Feb 2026 https://www.brickunderground.com/rent/nyc-manhattan-brooklyn-queens-rental-market-report-february-2026, reviewed 2026-05-16
- Property tax, New York City. NYC DoF FY2026 + CBCNY analysis https://cbcny.org/nyc-effective-tax-rates, reviewed 2026-05-16
- Healthcare, New York City. KFF 2025 EHBS worker premium share + Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker 2023 realized OOP ($869/person, $3,564 family of four) trended ~1.18x to 2026 + Milliman MMI 2025 upper anchor, reviewed 2026-08-08
- Childcare, New York City. Care.com NYC market, reviewed 2026-05-16
- Food, New York City. Numbeo NYC + BLS CEX, reviewed 2026-05-16
- Transit, New York City. MTA OMNY https://new.mta.info/fares, reviewed 2026-05-16
- Discretionary spending, New York City. Numbeo NYC, reviewed 2026-05-16
- Travel home, New York City. Google Flights JFK/LGA/EWR, reviewed 2026-05-16
- Taxes, London. 6 sources, reviewed no later than 2026-05-15
- HMRC - independent taxation of spouses since 1990, reviewed 2026-07-17
- HMRC https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance/how-much-you-pay, reviewed 2026-05-15
- HMRC NI rates 2025-26, reviewed 2026-05-15
- HMRC income tax rates; additional-rate threshold 125,140 taxable + PA taper over 100k (gov.uk/income-tax-rates); verified tax audit 2026-07-14, reviewed 2026-07-17
- HMRC Income tax allowances 2025-26, reviewed 2026-05-15
- HMRC, Pension schemes rates and allowances https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-and-allowances-pension-schemes/pension-schemes-rates ; Pensions Tax Manual PTM057100 https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/pensions-tax-manual/ptm057100 ; https://www.gov.uk/tax-on-your-private-pension/annual-allowance, reviewed 2026-08-11
- Housing, London. Investropa London Rents 2026 / Numbeo May 2026, reviewed 2026-05-15
- Property tax, London. Greater London Properties / borough council tax bands, reviewed 2026-05-15
- Healthcare, London. ONS Healthcare expenditure, UK Health Accounts 2023 and 2024 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/bulletins/ukhealthaccounts/2023and2024 (household out-of-pocket GBP 46bn in 2024, of which ONS states ~38% is long-term care) + NHS England prescription charge and prepayment certificate, reviewed 2026-08-08
- Childcare, London. Coram Family and Childcare Survey 2026, reviewed 2026-05-15
- Food, London. Numbeo London + WeCovr UK Food Budget 2026, reviewed 2026-05-15
- Transit, London. Transport for London https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/caps-and-travelcard-prices, reviewed 2026-05-15
- Discretionary spending, London. Numbeo London + Resamania gym + UK streaming calculator, reviewed 2026-05-15
- Travel home, London. KAYAK / Skyscanner LHR-SEA median 2026, reviewed 2026-05-15
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-27