Skip to main content

Sales Tax Calculator by State & City

The United States has no federal sales tax — every state and city sets its own, so the combined rate in the August 2026 snapshot runs from 0% in Portland to 10.35% in Seattle, 10.25% in Chicago and 8.875% in New York City. And there is no refunding it later: the US has no VAT-style refund scheme, so the register total is what you pay. Worked Manhattan example: a $100 bag gets 8.875% ($8.88) added, so you pay $108.88 at the register, because displayed prices are always pre-tax.

Federal sales taxNone — 0% at the federal level
Airport refund deskDoes not exist at any US airport
NYC example ($100)$100 + 8.875% = $108.88
Cheapest shopping cities0% Portland · 4.5% Honolulu · 6.5% Orlando · 7% Miami
Highest-tax cities10.35% Seattle · 10.25% Chicago
Clothing exemptionsPA, NJ, MN at 0% · NY under $110 per item
GroceriesExempt in most states (exceptions: IL 1%, MS 1.5%)

Inputs

$

Clothing is exempt in PA, NJ and MN (and under $110/item in NY); groceries are exempt in most states.

Default scenario: $100 · NYC · general — edit inputs
Register total in New York City (8.875%)
$108.88
Price $100.00 + tax $8.88
≈ 408 SAR (pegged rate)Approximate FX rates — as of September 2026 · FX rates are approximate, for planning only.
The displayed price is not the final price — sales tax is added at the register
Same basket ($100.00 · 1×) in:
Chicago (10.25%)$10.25 · you save $1.37
NYC (8.875%)$8.88 · same rate

Combined (state + county + city) rates — August 2026 snapshot. No federal sales tax; no tourist refund.

Check-in
Check-out
Guests

We may earn a commission.

Embed This Calculator

Share this tool with your audience. 100% free and fully responsive.

How the calculator works

Enter your trip details to get travel figures based on current, real-world numbers.

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Enter the shelf (pre-tax) price and quantity, then pick a category: general, clothing or groceries.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    Choose the state and the cascading city selector applies that city's combined 2026 rate — zeroing it automatically when the category is exempt in that state.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    You get the tax amount and the final register total, plus a Chicago/NYC comparison for the same basket so you can see the difference.

Use Cases

Plan travel for your destination with your own numbers

Open your destination planning questions directly: enter the details the tool asks for and it computes the answer from its dataset rather than an average, so the result reflects the inputs you actually care about.

Re-check before you pay

Re-run the numbers whenever a price, date or party size changes; the tool keeps every assumption visible, so a revised total takes seconds and stops one stale figure from leaking into bookings or shared plans.

Tips

  • 1

    Seasonal swings and local events move your destination prices, so the us sales tax result you get today is a snapshot: re-run near your booking date and keep the inputs so updates stay one field away.

  • 2

    Prices behind this travel planner move with season and local events in your destination: re-run the calculation close to your booking date instead of trusting a figure saved weeks earlier, because seasonal swings can move totals by a third or more.

  • 3

    Work in the local currency of your destination and keep card fees as a separate line; converting every travel price to your home currency with a rough rate distorts the comparison between options and hides their real differences.

Common Mistakes

  • Reusing a Sales Tax Calculator by State & figure from an old season: prices move, and last spring's number can be a third off today's. Re-run this calculator with your actual dates before the result feeds any booking.

  • Copying Sales Tax Calculator by State & results between trips without re-entering the inputs: a change of dates, party size, or season silently invalidates every downstream number for your destination. Re-run with each trip's own values.

FAQs

What's the sales tax in Chicago in 2026?

Chicago's combined rate is 10.25% — the highest of any big US city after Seattle's 10.35%. Illinois itself charges only 6.25%, but Cook County and the City of Chicago layer on their own taxes to reach 10.25% at the register. That is the number that matters: US sales tax is always the combined state + county + city rate for where you are standing, never the state rate alone.

Which states have no sales tax?

Five states have no statewide sales tax: Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, Delaware and Alaska. Portland, Anchorage, Manchester and Wilmington all ring up at exactly the shelf price. Alaska allows small local borough rates (Anchorage stays 0%), while Montana and New Hampshire still tax restaurants and hotels under separate meals and lodging taxes — so a restaurant meal is never fully tax-free.

Is clothing taxed in Pennsylvania?

No. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Minnesota exempt clothing and footwear entirely, so a $100 shirt in Philadelphia (8% general rate) rings up at exactly $100. New York exempts items under $110 apiece — a $90 jacket in Manhattan is tax-free while a $300 one pays the full 8.875%. Connecticut exempts items under $1,000 (since July 2024) and Massachusetts exempts the first $175 of each item. In most other states clothing is fully taxed.

How does grocery tax work by state?

Most of the 45 states with a sales tax exempt unprepared groceries, but the exceptions matter: Illinois charges a reduced 1%, Mississippi 1.5%, Missouri 1.225%, Tennessee about 4%, and South Dakota and Idaho tax food at the full rate. Kansas eliminated its state grocery tax in January 2025 and Nebraska followed that same year. Restaurant meals, takeout and prepared food are taxed at the full combined rate everywhere — the grocery exemption never covers eating out.

Why does the register price differ from the shelf price?

Because US stores display pre-tax prices — sales tax is added at checkout. A $100 bag in New York City gets 8.875% ($8.88) added, so you pay $108.88 at the register. In most major cities the add-on runs 6%–10.5% depending on the state, county and city, so the shelf tag is never the final price. Run the numbers before you get to the counter so the total never surprises you.

My receipt total is $108.88 — what was the pre-tax price?

Divide the total by (1 + rate). In NYC: $108.88 ÷ 1.08875 ≈ $100.00, so about $8.88 of that receipt is tax. In Chicago divide by 1.1025, in Seattle by 1.1035. The reverse math matters for returns and expense reports: the tax is already inside the register total, so multiplying the total (instead of the pre-tax price) by the rate overstates the tax.

What are the combined sales tax rates in major US cities for 2026?

2026 combined rates: New York City 8.875%, Los Angeles 9.5%, Chicago 10.25%, San Francisco 8.625%, Las Vegas 8.375%, Seattle 10.35%, Houston and Dallas 8.25%, Atlanta 8.9%, Miami 7%, Orlando 6.5%, Boston 6.25%, Honolulu 4.5%, and Portland 0%. Where you shop matters: on a $1,000 basket the spread between Seattle and Portland is a full $103.50.

Can visitors to the US get a sales tax refund at the airport?

No. Unlike Europe's VAT, the United States has no sales-tax refund scheme — for foreign visitors or anyone else — and there are no refund desks at US airports. The tax you pay at the register is final. Visitors looking to trim it can shop in the no-sales-tax states (Oregon, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire) or buy exempt categories like clothing in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Minnesota.

Related tools

Pick another tool to continue your calculation.

✈️

Scenic Train Ride Calculator — Price the Ride and the Trip Around It

Free online tool — fast, accurate results in your browser.

✈️

School Break Cost Calculator — The Same Trip, Priced Week by Week

Free online tool — fast, accurate results in your browser.

✈️

Ship vs Extra Baggage Calculator — Get the Outlet Haul Home for Less

Free online tool — fast, accurate results in your browser.

✈️

Kids Ski Programs Cost Calculator — Lessons, Rentals & Season Passes

Free online tool — fast, accurate results in your browser.

🧳

Every trip-planning tool in one hub

Budgets, hotels, visas and flight times for every destination.

✈️

Ski Lift Ticket Price Calculator — Window vs Advance by Resort

Free online tool — fast, accurate results in your browser.