Compare two job offers side by side on total compensation — salary, bonus, equity, benefits, 401k, PTO, and commute costs. See which offer actually pays more.
How to Compare Job Offers Beyond Salary
Salary is just one piece of your total compensation. Two offers with the same base pay can differ by tens of thousands of dollars once you factor in bonuses, equity, benefits, retirement matching, and commute costs. This tool helps you see the full picture.
Total Comp = Base Salary + Bonus + Equity + Health Insurance
+ 401k Match + Other Benefits - Commute Costs
Effective Hourly = Total Comp / ((52 - PTO weeks) x 40)
What Counts as Total Compensation
- Base salary — Your guaranteed annual pay before taxes.
- Bonus — Annual performance bonus, typically a percentage of base salary. Note that bonuses are not guaranteed.
- Equity/RSUs — Stock grants that vest over time. Use the annualized value (total grant divided by vesting period).
- Health insurance — The employer's contribution toward your premiums, not what you pay out of pocket.
- 401k match — Employer matching on retirement contributions. A 4% match on a $90,000 salary is $3,600/year in free money.
- PTO — Paid time off has real monetary value. More PTO means a higher effective hourly rate since you earn the same for fewer working hours.
- Commute costs — Gas, tolls, transit passes, parking, and wear on your vehicle. Remote work saves thousands annually.
Negotiation Tips Using This Tool
If the offers are close in total comp, look at which categories each offer wins on. You can use this to negotiate: if Offer A has a better salary but Offer B has better benefits, ask Offer A to match the benefits or increase the salary to compensate for the gap.
Don't Forget the Intangibles
This calculator covers the quantifiable factors, but career growth, work-life balance, company culture, and manager quality matter enormously for long-term satisfaction and earning potential. The best total comp package at a company with limited growth may cost you more in the long run than a slightly lower offer at a company where you can advance quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I value equity or RSUs in a job offer?
For public companies, use the current stock price multiplied by the number of shares, divided by the vesting period (usually 4 years). For startups, equity valuation is speculative; many advisors suggest valuing startup equity at zero for comparison purposes and treating any upside as a bonus.
Should I include my own health insurance costs?
Enter the employer's contribution — the amount they pay toward your premiums, not your out-of-pocket cost. If one employer covers 100% of premiums ($8,000/year value) and another covers 70% ($5,600/year), that $2,400 difference is real compensation.
How much is a day of PTO worth?
A day of PTO is worth your daily rate: annual salary divided by 260 working days. For a $90,000 salary, each PTO day is worth approximately $346. Five extra PTO days equals about $1,730 in value.
How do I calculate commute costs?
For driving: estimate miles per day round-trip, multiply by IRS mileage rate ($0.67/mile in 2024), and multiply by working days per month (~22). Add parking and tolls. For transit, use your monthly pass cost. Remote work has zero commute cost.
What's a good 401k match?
The most common match is 50 cents on the dollar up to 6% of salary (effectively 3%). A full dollar-for-dollar match up to 4-6% is considered generous. Any 401k match is free money — always contribute at least enough to get the full match.