Headline salary is only the starting point. The same analyst pay can produce very different lifestyles once you account for taxes, rent, transportation, health costs and everyday expenses in each city.

Compare after-tax monthly cash flow rather than gross salary. Add realistic housing and commuting costs, then include bonuses or relocation support only if you are confident they apply.

Also consider non-financial differences such as travel expectations, office location and whether you would need a car. Those can change your actual monthly cost more than a small salary difference.

Build a simple budget for each city using the same lifestyle assumptions. That makes the comparison much more useful than saying one office 'pays more' based only on the offer letter. For more detail, see the management consultant salary guide.

A salary that looks higher on paper can disappear pretty quickly once you compare rent and local taxes.

Would you compare cities using after-tax income, or is gross salary minus rent good enough?