Sample: fictional household
Decision Pack
New York City to London
Two adults, 2 children
Prepared 2026-08-18
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, and the one-pager near the back is built to forward to a recruiter without edits.
What is in it
- 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 paycheque
- Decision confidenceWhat to quote and what to check, named line by line
- Recruiter one-pagerBuilt to forward without edits
- AppendixEvery source, in full
What this report was built from
- 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
These controls are live on a purchased report. This sample is one fixed household, so they are switched off here.
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 2026-08-18, so a later correction to a source can move a number here.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-18
Section 1The break-even
£103,816
Gross per year in London. Below this the household is behind; above it, ahead.
About $140,673 in the currency you earn today.
No offer was entered, so this report answers what the move would have to pay.
What decides it
- Taxes$17,433 less
- Healthcare$12,633 less
- Transit$7,928 less
Annual, in USD, London against New York City.
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. Statutory minimums, not what one employer offers. Vacation and public holidays are counted separately because no statute grants a combined total.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-18
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 | Source for London |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes | 76,208 | 58,776 | HMRC - independent taxation of spouses since 1990 and 5 more |
| Housing | 65,649 | 65,682 | Investropa London Rents 2026 / Numbeo May 2026 |
| Property tax | 0 | 0 | Greater London Properties / borough council tax bands |
| Healthcare | 14,828 | 2,195 | 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 |
| Childcare | 38,400 | 34,146 | Coram Family and Childcare Survey 2026 |
| Food | 25,800 | 19,675 | Numbeo London + WeCovr UK Food Budget 2026 |
| Transit | 14,500 | 6,572 | Transport for London https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/caps-and-travelcard-prices |
| Discretionary spending | 6,500 | 7,046 | Numbeo London + Resamania gym + UK streaming calculator |
| Travel home | 0 | 4,065 | KAYAK / Skyscanner LHR-SEA median 2026 |
| Total cost | 241,885 | 198,158 |
Sources are listed against every line in the appendix at the back.
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.
What differs beyond the city
These rows compare two different setups, so part of each gap is your choice rather than the destination.
- Getting arounda car in New York City, public transit in London
- Trips home per year0 in New York City, 1 in London
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-18
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 · 2026-08-18
Section 4What to ask for
£100,000 to £145,000
The floor is the salary that leaves your household level, which is above this destination's median, and the ceiling is its measured upper quartile. An equivalent salary is not a job offer.
| The evidence under it | GBP |
|---|---|
| Your break-even | £103,816 |
| London median, all levels | £99,953 |
| London upper quartile | £140,300 |
What the numbers give you to say
- Taxes are $17,433 less a year in London.
- Healthcare is $12,633 less a year in London.
- Transit is $7,928 less a year in London.
An equivalent salary is not a job offer. It is what the modeled costs say about this household in these two cities.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-18
Section 5Getting there
$28,844 to $55,648
What the move itself costs, before the first paycheque.
- Permit and visa $13,846 to $24,104Your employer covers $5,317 to $9,205 of the sourced band on top of this.
- Shipping your belongings $3,700 to $15,600
- Flights $1,000 to $2,800
- Temporary housing on arrival $4,743 to $6,369
- Rental deposit $5,556 to $6,775Refundable, so this is cash up front rather than a cost.
Shipping estimates do not include furnishing a home at the destination.
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-18
ConfidenceWhat to quote, and what to check first
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, not yet graded
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 · 2026-08-18
New York City to London
Two adults, 2 children · 2026-08-18
£103,816
Gross per year in London: the salary that leaves this household level after tax, housing, healthcare and childcare.
What drives the difference
- Taxes$17,433 less a year in London
- Healthcare$12,633 less a year in London
- Transit$7,928 less a year in London
An equivalent salary is not a job offer. It is what the modeled costs say about this household in these two cities on 2026-08-18, using published statutory rates and market data. Method and sources: cityparity.com/methodology/
New York City to London · cityparity Relocation Decision Pack · 2026-08-18
AppendixEvery number, and where it came from
Each sensitivity row varies one input. An equivalent salary is not a job offer.
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 · 2026-08-18