| Metric | Offer A | Offer B |
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| Fill inputs below and click Compare | ||
Total compensation (total comp) is the full economic value of a job offer — not just the number on the salary line. For tech workers in particular, the difference between headline salary and true total comp can be enormous. A $150,000 base offer with $200,000 in RSUs vesting over four years, a $20,000 signing bonus, 15% annual bonus, 5% 401k match, and $12,000 in benefits is worth $230,000 in Year 1 — 53% more than the base salary alone. Failing to account for all components is the single biggest mistake candidates make when comparing job offers.
RSU (Restricted Stock Unit) vesting is one of the most valuable and most misunderstood components of tech compensation. RSUs are grants of company stock that you earn over a vesting schedule — typically four years with a one-year cliff. The one-year cliff means you receive nothing until you have been at the company for 12 months, at which point a larger tranche (often 25% of the total grant) vests at once. After the cliff, remaining shares typically vest monthly or quarterly. RSU value fluctuates with the stock price, so a $200,000 grant at offer time may be worth significantly more or less when it actually vests. This calculator uses the grant-date value as a planning baseline — always model a range of scenarios for high-volatility stocks.
Cost of Living (COLA) adjustment is critical when comparing offers across different cities or remote roles. A $180,000 salary in San Francisco (COLA index ~180) provides roughly the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average — because San Francisco costs approximately 80% more to live in than the average American city. This calculator uses a simplified city-level COLA index to convert your nominal compensation into purchasing-power-equivalent dollars. For fully remote roles (COLA index 100), your purchasing power depends entirely on where you actually live, not where the company is headquartered. Always negotiate remote salaries based on the value you deliver, not your local cost of living.
401k employer match is essentially free money and a guaranteed return on your retirement contributions. If your employer matches 5% of your base salary, that is $7,500 per year on a $150,000 base — which compounds significantly over a career. Always contribute at least enough to capture the full employer match; otherwise you are leaving guaranteed compensation on the table. The vesting schedule for 401k matches varies — some employers vest match contributions immediately (ideal), while others use a 3–6 year graded or cliff vesting schedule. Factor this into your job-switching calculus.
Effective hourly rate contextualizes your total compensation as a per-hour figure, accounting for your actual paid time off. Two offers might have identical Year-1 total comp, but one comes with 25 PTO days and the other with 10 — the 25-day offer has a meaningfully higher effective hourly rate because you earn the same total compensation for fewer hours of work. The calculation: Year-1 Total Comp ÷ (52 weeks × 40 hours − PTO days × 8 hours).
Annual bonus in this calculator uses the target bonus percentage (what you receive at 100% performance attainment). Actual bonuses at most tech companies range from 0% to 200%+ of target depending on company performance and individual ratings. Use target as your planning baseline but understand the range of outcomes. Signing bonuses are typically clawed back on a pro-rated basis if you leave within 12–24 months — read the repayment clause carefully before signing.
When comparing competing job offers, evaluate them on at least three dimensions: nominal Year-1 total comp, 4-year average annual comp (which smooths out signing bonus windfalls and reveals the ongoing value of the equity package), and COLA-adjusted purchasing power if the roles are in different cities. A higher nominal offer in San Francisco versus a lower nominal offer in Austin may represent the same or worse purchasing power once cost of living is applied. Tech workers commonly optimize for nominal comp and regret the decision after discovering how expensive their new city is.
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