<prompt> Human: My girlfriend is making 72-thousandyear right now in Birmingham, Alabama. Shes been offered a job in Denver, and their first offer is 75-thousand. She wants to take the job, but she knows she needs to make at least the equivalent of what shes making now, and we know Denver is more expensive than Birmingham, so 75K is too low. Also, her current 401K is fully vested and contributes 4,000year. Her potential new job only offers 2,500year, but it doesnt fully vest until year 5, so I feel like assuming she wont see that 2,500year at allId say the chances of her still being there in 5 years is 50 at best. I found Bankrates COL Calculator here but is that accurate?Also, her new job would have 5 fewer vacation days. At 250 work days per year, those 5 vacation days are worth at least 1,440.How can we come up with an accurate counter-offer if our top priority is just maintaining our current standard of living?  <response>: I dont think some of these responders realize how fast civilization drops off outside Southeastern cities. Depending on where exactly GF works, her more than hour commute could easily mean they literally live on a farm in an unincorporated area - where a cost-of-living estimate for Birmingham metro area is completely meaningless. OP, are you sure thats a meaningful number for you?Even if you do live in the metro area, hop on Zillow and compare actual prices. It looks to me like Denver housing is as much as triple Birmingham. I think GF is contemplating a MAJOR pay cut, smaller living space, and longer commute. Disposable income to come back and visit friends seems crazy optimistic. 