Look beyond the base salary. Compare after-tax take-home pay using our calculator above. Then consider health insurance premiums and deductibles, 401k matching, paid time off, bonus potential, commute time and cost, work-life balance, career growth opportunities, and company culture. The highest salary does not always mean the best offer.

Compare total compensation. Base salary is important, but benefits add real value. A 5 percent 401k match on a $70,000 salary adds $3,500 per year. Good health insurance can save you $3,000 to $5,000 per year. Paid time off has cash value. Always ask for the full benefits package before deciding.

State taxes can make a huge difference. A $80,000 job in California gives you approximately $57,380 after taxes. A $70,000 job in Texas gives you approximately $56,145 after taxes. The higher salary in California gives you only $1,235 more after taxes. Some states have no income tax at all. Use our calculator above to compare after-tax take-home pay for any state.

First, convert both to annual income. For an hourly job, multiply your hourly rate by hours per week by 52 weeks. For example, $25 per hour times 40 hours times 52 weeks equals $52,000 per year. Then compare after-tax take-home pay. Also consider that hourly jobs may offer overtime pay at 1.5 times your regular rate. Salary jobs may offer paid time off and benefits.

FTE comparison converts part-time or variable-hour pay into what it would equal at a standard 40-hour week. For example, $20 an hour at 25 hours a week equals $500 a week. At a full 40-hour week, that same hourly rate equals $800 a week. Comparing FTE pay lets you fairly compare a part-time offer against a full-time offer using the same hourly rate.

A 401k match is free money from your employer. If your employer matches 50 percent of your contributions up to 6 percent of your salary, here is what that means. On a $70,000 salary, 6 percent is $4,200. If you contribute $4,200, your employer adds $2,100. That is $2,100 of free money every year. Over 10 years, that grows to over $30,000 with investment returns.

Ask each employer for a benefits summary. Compare health insurance monthly premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums. Compare 401k match percentage and vesting schedule. Compare paid time off days including vacation, sick days, and holidays. Compare bonus potential and average bonus paid. Compare tuition reimbursement and training opportunities. Write down the differences and assign a dollar value to each.

Bonuses are not guaranteed. Ask about the average bonus paid in the last two years. Use our bonus tax calculator to see how much of a bonus you actually keep after taxes. A $5,000 bonus may give you only $3,500 to $4,000 after taxes. Consider the bonus as extra but do not rely on it for your budget. A higher base salary with no bonus may be better than a lower base salary with an uncertain bonus.

Convert both to weekly or annual totals before comparing. Multiply each hourly rate by its weekly hours, then by 52 weeks, to get an annual figure. A higher hourly rate with fewer hours can pay less overall than a lower rate with more hours. Use the calculator above with the hourly option to see both as an annual and after-tax comparison.

Not necessarily. A higher salary in a high-tax, high-cost state can leave you with less real spending power than a lower salary in a low-tax, low-cost state. Check the after-tax take-home pay and the cost of living adjustment above before assuming the bigger number is the better offer.

Cost of living does not change your paycheck directly, but it changes what that paycheck can buy. A salary that goes far in a low-cost state may not stretch nearly as far in an expensive city. See the Cost of Living Adjustment section above for a worked example and a state-by-state index