Harris vs. Trump: what you'll pay

How The Calculations Work

This calculator compares the cost of living under the Trump and Harris/Walz plans, based on several factors: federal income tax, grocery costs, medical expenses, and housing costs. Here is how each component is calculated under each plan.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS DOES NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION YOUR STATE SPECIFIC COSTS.

1. Federal Income Tax

Metric	Harris/Walz Plan	Trump Plan
Income Tax Rate	22% for incomes < $400,000; 32% for incomes > $400,000	15% for incomes < $168,000; 30% for incomes > $168,000
Child Tax Credit	$3,600 per child, plus an additional $6,000 for first-year dependents	No child tax credit adjustments
ACA Health Coverage Credit	Additional $6,000 credit if ACA plan is selected	No adjustments for ACA plan selection

2. Grocery Costs

The monthly grocery spending provided by the user is converted into an annual total. If left blank, the default monthly grocery cost is $832, representing the average U.S. spending on food.

Metric	Harris/Walz Plan	Trump Plan
Grocery Cost Adjustment	2% estimated reduction to stabilize costs	Increased by $4,000 annually to account for universal tariff

3. Medical Costs

Medical spending is based on user-provided monthly expenses, converted to an annual total. If no value is entered, it defaults to the average U.S. spending of $13,493 annually.

Metric	Harris/Walz Plan	Trump Plan
Out-of-Pocket Cap	Capped at $2,000 if ACA is selected	No out-of-pocket cap
ACA Subsidy	Additional $6,000 savings for ACA participants	No ACA subsidy

4. Housing Costs

Housing expenses are based on the user’s monthly spending, converted to an annual total. Users must enter their monthly housing costs, as there is no default value.

Metric	Harris/Walz Plan	Trump Plan
Housing Cost Adjustment	Estimated 5% reduction due to affordable housing initiatives	No adjustments; housing costs are based on user input only

Total Cost of Living

The total cost of living is the sum of income tax, grocery costs, medical expenses, and housing costs calculated under each plan. The results provide a side-by-side comparison to help users see how each plan impacts their overall cost of living.

Total Cost Of Living by State: The total cost of living by state was calculated by data provided by Patriot Software. Multipliers are then applied based on the “Value of $100” for each state.

Assumptions

• Average Costs for Blank Inputs: If users leave grocery and medical fields blank, the calculator assumes average monthly costs ($832 for groceries, $1,124.42 for medical expenses).
• ACA Impact: Selecting ACA coverage in the Harris/Walz plan triggers a $6,000 healthcare subsidy and caps out-of-pocket medical costs at $2,000 annually.
• Trump Plan Tariff: Assumes a $4,000 annual increase in grocery costs due to the proposed universal tariff.
• First-Year Child Credit: Provides an additional $6,000 in tax relief for one dependent under the Harris/Walz plan if a dependent under one year is indicated.
• Housing Cost Reduction: Harris/Walz plan assumes a 5% reduction in housing costs based on affordable housing initiatives aimed at stabilizing rental prices.
• Fracking and Domestic Oil Drilling:The Trump plan could reduce energy related household expense (where natrual gas and electricity costs play a larger role) by 10%, but could also increase housing costs around areas where companies would drill for oil because of an increased demand in housing from people hired to work there.