Can You Live There? — Explorable Housing Cost Affordability

The Job Offer Story

My friend Allan got two job offers. Which one should he choose?

Allan is graduating and choosing between two offers: $85,000 in San Diego County or $70,000 in Philadelphia County. The higher offer sounds more appealing, but rent can quietly change what that number means.

Before seeing the chart, make a guess: what percent of each offer would go toward average monthly rent?

The rule behind the story

Housing is treated as affordable when rent is no more than 30% of monthly gross income.

Income here is annual gross income, and rent uses average monthly rent from the dataset.

Take a guess before the reveal Rent burden = monthly rent ÷ monthly gross income

San Diego offer: $85k

Philadelphia offer: $70k

Your guesses will be compared with the data.

Scroll to test Allan’s offers ↓

Guided story mode

Annual income $75,000

Explore state

Loading rent and income data...

Chapter 1

Allan’s two job offers

On paper, a $85,000 salary easily beats $70,000. However, true purchasing power is dependent on where you lock in a lease.

Use this section to compare two job offers in two counties. Change each county and each salary to see whether the bigger paycheck actually gives you a lower rent burden.

The real question is not “which salary is higher?” It is “which salary leaves more room after rent?”

Adjust both salaries and compare the bars. Lower rent burden means the offer is easier to live on.

Place A

Salary A

Place B

Salary B

Job offer comparison

Chapter 2

What Allan’s salary does not show

A $85,000 salary may initially look strong, however mapping it across the United States exposes how income value is entirely relative to its zip code.

Use the salary slider and state selector to see how affordability changes across the U.S. Click a state to zoom into counties, then click a county to use it in the comparisons below.

The map turns Allan’s offer into a bigger question: where does $85k actually work?

Guided mode keeps the view simple: the story controls the salary and shows the national pattern first.

—affordable states

—affordable counties

—median required income

Viewing: all states Click a state to zoom into counties. Click a county to compare it.National view for the guided story

Affordable Borderline Burdened Severely burdened No data

The map will update when data loads.

Chapter 3

How much income changes the answer

If Allan tried to negotiate, how much would the raise matter? The ladder shows that income helps, but it does not unlock every place evenly.

Use this view to test different salary levels and watch the affordability ladder change. The bars show how many places become affordable as income increases.

Click through the income levels to see how each raise changes Allan’s options.

Click a salary button to update the map and compare how affordability changes at each income level.

Income ladder

Click “Show income ladder” first. Then use the buttons below to move through each salary level.

This chart shows the share of counties affordable at different incomes.

Chapter 4

What would it take to live there?

Let’s flip the question: instead of asking if an $85,000 salary is high, let's calculate the exact income San Diego requires to keep rent under 30%.

Choose any county to see its average rent, the estimated income needed to keep rent under 30%, and whether your current salary is enough.

The chart compares the salary with the income needed for the selected county.

Offer location selected: San Diego County, CA

Dream county

Pick a county

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Required annual income will appear here.

Chapter 5

Where would you live?

Affordability isn't just about survival, it's about lifestyle. What choices open up when your income and rent actually align?

Use the filters to build your own recommendation list. Change the state, affordability category, and sorting option to find places that match your salary.

The recommendations show places where Allan’s $85k offer would leave more breathing room.

Use the filters to turn the story into a recommendation list.

Filter by state

Climate & geography

☀️ warm states 🌊 coastal states 🌽 Midwest

Lifestyle

🏙️ more urban (more county data) 💸 very low cost (<$1,200/mo) 🛡️ comfortable buffer (<20%)

Top affordable matches

Matched counties on the map

Chapter 6

What did we learn?

Allan’s offers show why salary should not be judged alone. A job offer is really a package of income, rent, location, and tradeoffs.

Your salary—

Affordable counties—

Dream county gap—

A higher salary can hide a weaker deal

San Diego pays more, but high local rent leaves you with less spending power than a lower salary in a cheaper city.

Affordability is about leftover choice

When rent takes up too much of your paycheck, your entire budget shrinks. It directly limits how much money you can save, invest, travel, or spend on emergencies.

The “best” offer depends on values

Allan might still choose San Diego for career, family, or lifestyle reasons, but the visualization makes the hidden cost of that choice visible.

Reflection

So... which offer is better?

The data proves that "better" doesn't mean "higher paying." Allan’s real decision depends on how much of his paycheck is taken by local rent, and what trade-offs he is willing to accept.

There is no single right answer. San Diego’s higher costs might be worth it for the lifestyle, however Philadelphia might win for anyone prioritizing immediate savings and financial flexibility. Affordability is not just about finding the highest salary — it is about asking: How much is a city's environment worth to you, and what are you willing to give up to live there?

Now it is your turn

Explore your own story.

The guided story followed Allan’s two offers. Now switch into the full dashboard: adjust the salary, zoom into states, click counties, compare your own job offers, and filter recommendations yourself.

✓ Salary slider available

✓ State and county map available

✓ County comparison available

✓ Dream county calculator available

✓ Recommendation filters available