Originally posted by DakarM
here is the thing.
it's not more expensive. that's not what the calculator is telling you.
it's just saying what the equivalent salary would be at the second city.
so now if we reverse the cities then 38K in Santa Cruz CA = $21K Stratford CT.
The cost of living calculators are an indicator of what you would need to make in another town to keep your same standard of living. It does not mean one town is richer than another, it just means that a bottle of Panteen costs more in another town.