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cityparity — Cost-of-Living & Quality-of-Life Comparison

by com.cityparity

Compare two cities for a household

compare_cities
Read-onlyIdempotent

Compare two cities for one household: take-home pay, full cost breakdown, the equivalent target salary needed to match source net cash, non-cash lifestyle deltas (vacation, parental leave, healthcare), and a 0-100 quality score on five weighted dimensions. Use this for a head-to-head between two named cities; for a single city call get_city_summary, and to rank many cities call rank_cities. Read-only, no side effects; returns a text summary plus structured JSON. RSU income is NOT a parameter; RSU is treated as source-only because grants typically do not follow you across employers.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
livingNoHousing and spending assumptions. Omit to use defaults: rent, 2 bedrooms, typical spending.
advancedNoOptional fine-tuning: retirement contribution, age bracket, trips home, transit mode, and inbound tax regime. Omit to use defaults.
householdNoFamily structure: working-age partner and dependent children. Omit for a single person with no kids.
source_cityYesCity slug for the user's current city. Use list_cities to discover valid slugs (e.g. 'nyc', 'seattle', 'tokyo').
target_cityYesCity slug for the destination city.
gross_salaryYesUser's annual gross salary in the SOURCE city's local currency (e.g. USD for Seattle, NOK for Oslo).
score_weightsNoOverride the composite-score weights. Defaults: financial 30, healthcare 20, vacation 15, childcare 15, safety_net 20.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
metaYes
sourceYes
targetYes
equivalenceYes
quality_scoreYes
non_cash_deltasYes

TDQS

A4.7/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint and idempotentHint. The description adds value beyond that by disclosing the RSU exclusion rule ('RSU income is NOT a parameter') and noting the output format ('returns a text summary plus structured JSON'), both of which are meaningful behavioral details not captured in annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Three sentences each serve a distinct purpose: summarizing outputs, giving usage alternatives, and noting a key limitation. Dense but not padded; front-loaded with the core purpose. No unnecessary repetition of schema details.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the complexity (nested objects, 7 parameters, output schema) and strong schema/annotation coverage, the description supplies the remaining critical context: when to use, what to expect, and a domain-specific edge case. It is fully sufficient for an agent to invoke correctly.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, with detailed descriptions for every parameter including defaults, enums, and conditional requirements. The description contributes an extra semantic caveat about RSU income not being a parameter, which helps avoid misuse. This pushes it above the baseline 3 for fully covered schemas.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description opens with 'Compare two cities for one household' and enumerates specific outputs (take-home pay, full cost breakdown, equivalent target salary, lifestyle deltas, quality score). It explicitly distinguishes from siblings by naming get_city_summary for single cities and rank_cities for ranking, making the tool's scope unmistakable.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It gives direct when-to-use guidance: 'Use this for a head-to-head between two named cities' and names alternatives: 'for a single city call get_city_summary, and to rank many cities call rank_cities.' This is exactly the kind of explicit triage expected.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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TDQS

A4.7/5.0
Disambiguation5/5

Each tool serves a distinct purpose: listing cities, summarizing one city, comparing two, ranking many, looking up tax regimes, and batch safety nets. Descriptions explicitly guide when to use each, eliminating ambiguity.

Naming Consistency5/5

All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern in snake_case (e.g., compare_cities, get_city_summary). The verbs are appropriate for the action, and there is no mixing of conventions.

Tool Count5/5

With 6 tools, the count is well-scoped for a cost-of-living comparison server. It covers essential operations without being too few or too many, fitting the typical 3-15 range.

Completeness4/5

The tool set covers discovery, summary, comparison, ranking, tax regimes, and safety nets. A minor gap is the lack of a detailed single-city cost breakdown (only headline costs in get_city_summary), but overall it's fairly complete.

Resources