INPUT AND EVIDENCE LEDGER
Put the two cases on the same footing.
| Field | Value | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal salary | $100,000 in either state | Controlled comparison |
| California RPP | 110.7 | BEA 2024 all-items RPP |
| Arkansas RPP | 86.9 | BEA 2024 all-items RPP |
| National level | 100 | BEA definition |
DECISION READING
Read the gap, not just the winner.
The RPP layer makes a broad regional difference visible, but it cannot replace the household's actual rent, childcare, insurance, commute, and consumption pattern. MOVE should use it as context, then let entered costs drive the decision.
REPRODUCIBLE WORK
The comparison ledger.
| Check | Formula or rule | Result |
|---|---|---|
| California adjusted amount | $100,000 ÷ 110.7 × 100 | About $90,334 |
| Arkansas adjusted amount | $100,000 ÷ 86.9 × 100 | About $115,075 |
| Adjusted gap | $115,075 − $90,334 | About $24,741 |
| Required California nominal | $100,000 × 110.7 ÷ 86.9 | About $127,388 to match the broad Arkansas price-level ratio |
SOURCE SNAPSHOT
Official context and the limited role it supports.
SENSITIVITY
Conditions that can reverse the gap.
- Housing rents are a major RPP driver and can differ sharply within each state.
- The latest release describes 2024, not a live 2026 household budget.
- A household basket can diverge from the all-items regional basket.
HUMAN ACCOUNTABILITY + AI USE RECORD
The owner is accountable; the technical checks were AI-assisted.
The TOOOLBOX site owner authorized the publication scope and remains the correction contact. AI assistance was used for drafting, implementation, arithmetic recomputation, and source-link checks. This record does not claim line-by-line human fact-checking or licensed professional review.
- Record ID
- TB-MOVE-18-20260905
- Owner role
- TOOOLBOX site owner and developer
- Technical check date
- 2026-09-05
- Human fact-check
- No separate human fact-check recorded
- AI use
- Drafting, code, arithmetic, and link checks
- Correction channel
- Public contact page
- Matched both state index values to the BEA release.
- Recomputed the two adjusted amounts and equivalent nominal ratio.
- Added year-lag and within-state limitations.
BOUNDARIES
Claims this comparison cannot support.
- The adjusted amounts are index transformations, not take-home pay.
- Taxes and benefits are excluded.
- State averages do not represent every city or household.
MORE MOVE DECISION NOTES
Test the result yourself.
This note preserves a dated calculation. Change the inputs in the live workspace, or compare another evidence pattern below. Live source availability and results can differ from the dated example.