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Riverside vs Tampa: Cost of Living

Riverside is about 6% more expensive than Tampa, based on the BEA regional price parity index (U.S. average = 100): Riverside at 106.442, Tampa at 100.89.

Cost of living (U.S. avg 100)
Riverside: 106.442
Cost of living (U.S. avg 100)
Tampa: 100.89
Salary parity ($100K in Riverside)
$95K in Tampa

If you earn $100K in Riverside, you would need about $95K in Tampa to keep the same standard of living (price levels only; taxes on your specific income are separate).

Rents: the biggest difference

Riverside

Rent price parity: 129.312 (U.S. average = 100)

Tampa

Rent price parity: 125.839 (U.S. average = 100)

What common jobs pay in each city (after tax)

OccupationMedian (Riverside)Take-home (Riverside)Median (Tampa)Take-home (Tampa)
Software Developer$133K$94K$130K$100K
Data Scientist$113K$82K$110K$86K
Registered Nurse$134K$94K$85K$69K
Accountant$84K$64K$79K$64K
Mechanical Engineer$105K$77K$100K$79K
Marketing Manager$158K$108K$160K$121K
Electrician$73K$57K$57K$48K
Elementary School Teacher$99K$73K$60K$50K
Police Officer$102K$75K$76K$62K
Chef$64K$52K$58K$49K
Financial Analyst$101K$75K$80K$65K
Civil Engineer$115K$83K$101K$80K
Pharmacist----
Physical Therapist----
Dental Hygienist----
Web Developer----
Graphic Designer----
Paralegal$61K$50K$60K$51K
Plumber----
HVAC Technician$64K$52K$51K$43K

Taxes at a glance

Take-home assumes a single filer using the standard deduction. Riverside (California state tax), Tampa (Florida state tax). A $100K salary nets about $74K in Riverside vs $79K in Tampa. Full assumptions: methodology.