My COL tiers of normal consulting cities

VHCOL: SF, NYC, Toronto, Vancouver
HCOL: LA, San Diego, Boston, DC, Seattle, Miami
MCOL: Chicago, Dallas, Austin, Charlotte, Denver, Philly, Atlanta, Portland
LCOL: Columbus, Phoenix, Houston, Tampa, Minneapolis, St Louis
VLCOL: everywhere else

likehelpful
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at
Highlighted IconHIGHLIGHTED

Litttle ole' Charlotte made the cut!! Whoo hoo.

Love that place. Did an internship there and would get sloshed at that whitewater center on the weekends

Recent IconRecent

Austin is VHCOL

funnylike

If only having the money for a home was enough to win the bidding process in this market.

But point stands regardless.

LA is VHCOL

like

West LA, Santa Monica, Brentwood, Westwood, MDR, PLV, etc are.

Downtown LA area isn’t

Seattle is a lot more expensive than Toronto, like 25% more expensive.

likefunny

What’s the point of that type of comparison then? 😂 If you’re rich and can take your job to any city, who cares what the costs are? The whole point is you have to factor in what salaries are available in those cities to see if you can realistically expect to affford it.

Minneapolis is NOT LCOL

likefunny

MSP is much cheaper than every city on that MCOL list.

Minneapolis is MCOL. I live there.

like

Lol it is nowhere near as expensive as the cities listed in MCOL. I also live there and have lived in two of the MCOL cities.

like

How’s Dallas mcol? Vs Houston being lcol?

like

I guess Dallas is like 5% more expensive than Houston

like

Detroit is MCOL.

likefunny

I live here. We are just talking about salary bands, not actual COL.

Toronto is not VHCOL, Vancouver maybe based on real estate values. Canada pay is defiantly not VHCOL lol.

like

If you take into account the extremely low salaries in Toronto, it’s more expensive than NYC for same standard of living. At least in NYC you have the chance to make a lot of money to afford everything.

like

Austin is HCOL

like

Agree with Bain. Austin is much more $$ than Dallas and Houston

like

I would pop Chicago and maaaaybe Phoenix up one category.

funny

Boston is like 30% more than Chicago.
Chicago is the best bang for your buck big city in the US.

like

LA has always been, and Miami is now VHCOL.

like

Agree with M1. Miami is more like upper MCOL. Remember you have no state income tax in FL as well.

for the most part Philly is lower cost than all the other cities in MCOL

like

Both cities are dangerous though. That’s why it’s cheap.

Houston is not LCOL

like

Damn...lol. y'all need to go to Vietnam and pay $1 a bowl. It used to be 10 cents each when my parents were growing up.

https://www.fdic.gov/about/careers/localityrates.pdf
Government geo pay for the FDIC.

Nashville for MCOL

Wouldn't really consider Nashville a city with many consultants but MCOL seems fair for them. Seems like one of the worst 'value' cities in USA. At least to me

What’s interesting is that the salary bands based on COL is starting to get out of sync with the actual COL of the location in the past 1-2 years

All for increasing bands everywhere.

I would also consider Pittsburgh LCOL

where does arlington go

Related Posts

Hi Fishes,
I am working as a Sr Manager/Team Lead in service based industry since 10yrs, my total experience in leadership is 6 years. I want to shift my focus into product based companies. Any guidance/tips for me? Also dm if you know about any product manager roles in your sea.

I’m currently fielding an offer with EY as a FAAS Senior 2 in San Francisco, how much can I expect to make in this role? I don’t want to short sell myself with my salary requirements.

like

Interested in renting a furnished apartment with 1 bed + den or 2 bedrooms in West LA. Lease takeovers welcomed. Does anyone have any leads or suggestions where I can start looking?

like

WOW this interest group is so small. We are still so early. I guess I will ask something: Are you buying the "dip"? Also thoughts on DCA vs Lumpsum in btc.

like

Job Opportunities in PDX? Anyone know people looking for new jobs in PDX? I am sourcing candidates in PR (Director) and integrated marketing (A/C Supervisor) and other roles. Would love any referrals! S.Towers at bolywelch dot com

uplifting

Standard scoring

Need 4 out of 5:
James White @ Mia
Mark Ingram @ TB
Jaylen Samuels @ Oak
George Kittle vs Den
Nick Chubb vs Car

Russell Wilson vs Min or Kirk Cousins @ Sea?

Hello guys, need good docs/website to learn S4 HANA so that I do not get lost in the sea of material available online. Please suggest.

like

New in San Diego and want to explore the city? Me too 😂 comment bellow. I’ll send a message 🙌

like

Hi new to dfw area looking to buy a house. How’s the commute downtown from Frisco/McKinney area?

like

Cloud shadows on the Pacific Ocean on mini- vacay to HNL

Post Photo
like

Does anyone have a fair idea what the salary range for a Director of Acquisitions in San Diego would be?

like

People that moved to San Diego, how did you move your stuff and do you recommend a moving company ??

Any recommendations are appreciated

What is the current salary for a S1 or S2 in the VME group for HCOL? San Francisco?

like

Hi! I’m interested in moving to San Diego in the next six months. Any tips for job searching from New England? I’m currently working in social media, internal communications and content creation at a real estate firm. Curious to know if anyone has done that type of move and how did you navigate the job search.

like

What is a good salaray range for sr data analyst in the dfw area?

Hi,

Can someone please let me know how is the annual appraisal and growth in SLC?

I have gone through lot of posts in Glassdoor where existing employees are not happy with increments and slow growth.

OPEN ROLE:
Administrative Assistant in San Francisco
MUST have a background in Financial/Banking Services and have a stable work history.
This is a very stable, growing, and reputable company.

$75-85k

like

Looking for a position in Las vegas !?

like

Sea of thieves anyone?

like

More Posts

I am currently overseeing the Americas/Layan real estate portfolio of a big consulting firm, based in New York City. Aiming to move as I have been here for a long time and learning curve is fairly flat. Any ideas of comps with other corporates? Have 15+ year experience in real estate

like

Is CSPO certification helpful??

like

Hi All,

29 Aug was my last working day in HCL, still i haven't got the clearance for my asset i have already submitted laptop, and tried to contact the git team still they are not replying, what should i do please help me. without that i will not get relieving letter

TIA

like
like

Honestly, how bad are the hours at CMAAS? My firm is telling me I’m going to drown and I should stay if I value my WLB. I don’t know who to believe anymore.

like

Anyone use a lawyer to get increased disability? If so, any recommendations?

Please help me with below

My DOJ is 30th Oct22

Post Photo
like

Explain to me like I’m 5. Why does the monthly billable hours goal on things like Intellistat change month to month. I’m not hitting hours this year. Last month goal was 158. This months goal is 180.

Hi! Data scientist here with 3 years of experience. I also do some internal consulting in my current job and work as a data science consultant as a freelancer. I want to now work as a consultant. Love doing the case studies :D
Can anyone here guide me and be a mentor for this switch? Would love to hear from you. Thank you

like

Stop putting two spaces after periods, grandpa.

likefunnyuplifting

Honest thoughts/opinions about 22squared in Atlanta? Is their money where their mouth is, or are they all (over-)hype?

Looking to do a fall shoot for a client before the leaves have changed and fallen. I need prop leaves. Anyone have any ideas about how where to contact for a massive amount of fake fall leaves?

Ok production companies. Say I’ve got 3 weeks for you to divide up until I need to shoot. How much time do you want to bid/treat the job and how much do you want to prep? 1 week bid/treat, 2 weeks prep?

like

Hi, I am looking for referral from Atkins. Please help me refer for the position at Atkins.

Thank you in advance.Atkins Snc lavalin

I don’t understand how people keep posting about the bench and being unassigned. I’m in advisory(not audit) and my entire LoS is trending 90%+ utilization

like

I don’t know if coming out is something I should do or not anymore. My girlfriend and I want to get married in the next couple of years but thats not something I want to keep secret. It hurts me that I feel like I have to do that, but I don’t want to risk losing my job. I know they can’t fire me for being in a wlw relationship but they don’t have to give a reason. I don’t want the backlash of the community either since the area I teach in is really rural. Just sad I guess.

like

Hi Fishes,

What is the probability of a Birlasoft employee becoming client employee(fte for the client)

Hello! Any tips on entering mid law or in-house in Cincinnati graduation. Currently, a 3L at a New York school (not top ranked), 3.17 GPA. I do have good work experience working as a state judicial law intern, member of a hybrid SA program between my school and a big-law firm, and currently as an intern working on Smart Contracts and a legal advisor to the company’s CLM team. However, its been difficult to get my foot in the door and I am worried its because of grades. Can anyone provide advice?

like

Product Managers in the Banking and Payments world, is the below a near accurate representation of job levels/job bands in your industry?

Got offers from a bank and a payments company so trying ensure levels are comparable/similar. Job description are almost the same.

Currently a VP at a bank. Got an offer for SVP at another bank and Director for a payments company.

JPMorgan Chase Citi Bank of America American Express Visa Mastercard

Post Photo
like

Additional Posts in Consulting

Best books on business/ negotiation/ leadership you have ever read (and use practically)!?

like

Any good books or recommendations on sales? Sales tactics trips and tricks?

like

Anyone ever lost their passport? I lost mine in transit. I am abroad and entered new country. When I got to the counter to show my passport for entry I couldn't find it anywhere. I am currently sitting and waiting as they are deliberating . Any advice would be great.

like

I’m curious about of what do you do on a daily basis as a technology consultant. Can someone please share with me what this job entails?

like

How do I check my actual utilization (not the effective one). Mybusiness only tells me the effective utilization

like

What does bench life look like for you?
For me a typical day looks like this
9 am- sign in and check emails
930-11 : look for a new job
11-2 lunch and nap
2-3 : sometimes meetings, mostly begging people for billable work
3-4:30 - proposal work if I have it or more job hunting
5-9pm family time and dinner
10-3am - netflix, videogames, cry myself to sleep

likefunnyupliftinghelpfulsmart

Flaming hot take incoming. I went to school in Ohio. Lived in cincy a few years after graduation. Met amazing people. Saw attractive girls and good looking guys all the time. I’ve sense moved out east and have been severely underwhelmed by the quality of people I’ve encountered in my year here. And I’m very social - I interact with people a lot when I’m out and about. And yet all over social media there are jokes about how Ohio is the worst place to possibly live. I don’t get it

likefunny

Utilization may be my least favorite thing about Deloitte. It makes life challenging if you're stringing together a bunch of short-term, yet interesting, projects.

like

How do you know people like working with you? I always feel like I’m not liked

likehelpful

Best consulting companies in the social sector?

like

Can partners comment whether Pwc is having another round of layoffs. This is so scary! Shouldn't they rid of partners who can't sell first?! Or pause hiring? Opp. cost to find and train talent again?

like

Which top consulting firms, if any, will pay for your MBA?

like

Starting a new job in industry tomorrow! Any last minute advice?

like

Anyone been to the Harvard Extension School - Consultant’s Toolkit program? Any insights to share?

like

Looking to get into Facebook privacy legal team. Have experience as a consultant at another FAANG company. Anyone willing to provide a referral or discuss further?

like

Bain & Company Can anyone share levels and more at scales for Bain & Company M&A manager? Levels.fyi show a total comp of ~280, seems on the low end. What are the avg time at level M->SM and what is next?

like

Suggested books or resources to learn more about strategy consulting? Different analysis, acronyms, etc.

like

Thoughts on calendar being double booked? What are the etiquettes to be followed. Often people double book and it feels like “ my meeting is more important that whatever you have booked time for in yours”. If both meetings are same urgency/importance - what’s the best approach ? What are the expectations of leadership - to throw everything away and jump on to calls based on seniority ?

like

What are the best consulting firms for someone that’s looking to work in the aviation industry? Can be big consulting firms with strong presence in aviation or boutique firms. Preferably commercial strategy type of projects. US based. Thank you!

like

Is asking tomorrow for a day off for Yom Kippur (this Wednesday) a bad look? Its last minute and obviously its a calendar event that I should have seen coming and given notice for

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal