I think "salary calculators" do not reflect reality when you're comparing places which are qualitatively very different.
For instance, living in NYC or the other big dense cities involves making trade-offs that don't even make sense in a place like Austin (and vice-versa). Yes, in NYC, your living quarters will be much smaller, and no, you won't need a car to be comfortable.
The cost of living for other stuff outside of housing and transportation is going to be highly variable depending on your lifestyle. Again, it is all about trade-offs, whether or not the trade-offs are desirable depends on the individual.
Not to mention, apparently a lot of them base the cost-of-living on the cost of buying property, vs. renting. I have no interest in owning a house in the next five years, and wish I could exclude that stuff from comparisons.
For instance, living in NYC or the other big dense cities involves making trade-offs that don't even make sense in a place like Austin (and vice-versa). Yes, in NYC, your living quarters will be much smaller, and no, you won't need a car to be comfortable.
The cost of living for other stuff outside of housing and transportation is going to be highly variable depending on your lifestyle. Again, it is all about trade-offs, whether or not the trade-offs are desirable depends on the individual.