Job Offer Comparison Calculator

About the job offer comparison calculator

The offer with the higher salary is not always the better deal. A $6,000 difference in base pay can disappear once you account for a smaller 401(k) match, higher health premiums, fewer days off, or a daily commute. This free job offer comparison calculator puts two offers side by side and converts each part into an annual dollar value, so you can see the real gap before you accept, decline, or negotiate.

Enter base salary, expected bonus, 401(k) match, your share of health premiums, paid days off, commute costs, and any other benefits you would actually use. The calculator totals each offer and shows which one is worth more, and by how much. It runs in your browser and saves nothing. Below: how each line is calculated, the numbers people most often get wrong, and what the totals miss.

How to use it

1. 1

   Enter base salary and a realistic bonus

   Use the annual base from each offer letter. For bonus, enter what you expect to receive, not the maximum. Ask what percentage of target the bonus paid out in recent years.

2. 2

   Add retirement match and health premiums

   Enter the employer's 401(k) match as a percent of salary and the monthly premium you would pay for the coverage tier you need, such as employee only or family.

3. 3

   Add paid days off and commute cost

   Count vacation, personal days, and paid holidays. For commute, enter your monthly cost for fuel, transit, tolls, and parking, reduced to reflect any remote days.

4. 4

   Compare totals, then look past them

   Check which offer wins and by how much. If the gap is small, let growth, team, and flexibility decide. If it is large, use it in your negotiation.

How the calculator values each part of an offer

Every line becomes an annual dollar amount, so you can add them up. Positive lines are money or value you receive. Health premiums and commute costs are subtracted because they come out of your pocket. The totals are meant for comparison, not a prediction of your paycheck, and they are gross figures before taxes.

• Base salary: the annual amount from the offer letter.
• Bonus: your realistic annual expectation. Enter $0 if there is none or it rarely pays out.
• Retirement match: base salary × match percentage. A 4% match on $92,000 is $3,680 a year.
• Paid days off: base ÷ 260 workdays × days off. At $92,000, each day is worth about $354, so 20 days is about $7,077.
• Other benefits: stipends, tuition help, or equity you would count, as an annual value.
• Health premiums: your monthly premium × 12, subtracted.
• Commute: your monthly commute cost × 12, subtracted.

The numbers people most often get wrong

Bonuses are the biggest source of error. A "target bonus of 10%" depends on company and personal performance. Ask the recruiter what the bonus paid out as a percentage of target in recent years, and enter that, not the best case. A signing bonus belongs in year one only, and it may have to be repaid if you leave early.

401(k) matches only count if you contribute enough to earn them, and they may vest over time. Your own contributions are always fully vested, but employer contributions can follow a schedule. The IRS describes examples ranging from immediate vesting to 100% vesting after 3 years of service. If you might leave before you vest, discount the match.

Health premiums vary a lot by employer and coverage tier. In 2025, covered workers contributed an average of $1,440 a year for single coverage and $6,850 for family coverage, according to the KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey. Get the actual premium for the tier you need, and compare deductibles separately, since the calculator does not include them.

Commute costs and remote days

Commuting costs money and time, and offers often differ more here than in salary. For the money side, estimate your daily round-trip cost for fuel, transit, tolls, and parking, then multiply by the days you would go in each month. A hybrid role with two office days a week is roughly eight or nine commuting days a month. A fully remote role is $0, but consider whether you would pay more for home internet, utilities, or a coworking space.

The calculator does not value your time, so run that check yourself. A 50-minute round trip three days a week over 48 working weeks is 120 hours a year. Multiply those hours by your hourly rate to see what the commute costs you in time, then decide how much that matters to you.

What the totals cannot tell you

A dollar total compares what you can measure today. It does not capture how fast you will grow, how secure the job is, or whether you will like the work. Before you decide, compare each offer on the things that will shape the next two to three years, not only the next paycheck.

• Growth: the likely size of future raises, the promotion path, and what you will learn.
• Equity: stock grants and options depend on vesting schedules and company performance. Count them only at a value you would accept losing.
• Stability: the company's funding, recent layoffs, and how established the team is.
• Manager and team: who you will work with every day, which is hard to price but matters a lot.
• Flexibility: schedule control, remote policy, and how much after-hours work the role expects.
• Decision rule: if the totals are within about 5% of each other, let these factors decide. If one offer leads by more, ask whether the other's advantages are worth that dollar amount to you.

Examples

Frequently asked questions