AIRINC

What AIRINC does

AIRINC Associates for International Research, Inc. is a privately held global mobility data and consulting company founded in 1954 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company provides compensation and cost data, technology platforms, and advisory services that help multinational organizations manage international and domestic employee assignments. Its core product suite centers on cost-of-living allowance (COLA), housing budgets, international tax modeling (280+ jurisdictions), hardship premiums, per diems, and salary comparisons covering 1,300+ global cities, all backed by in-house researchers conducting continuous on-site price surveys across 2,500+ locations in 190+ countries.

AIRINC's technology platform is anchored on the AIRLinc web portal and a portfolio of specialized calculators and decision tools. Key products include the Assignment Cost Estimator (ACE) for instant cost projections across 565+ cities, the International Assignment Calculator, the Global Salary Comparison tool, the International Tax Guide, the Short-Term Allowance Calculator, and AIMS (an interactive decision guide). The company was first to market with Global Mobility product APIs in 2014 and now supports 30+ partner integrations via API, SSO, and white-labeling, with 175+ reports configured for 60+ companies. The 2025 launch of Navi unified these capabilities into a workflow platform spanning scenario planning, cost estimation, offer letter creation, balance sheet management, and program visibility. Recent investments in machine learning (2022) and an AI workflow engine (2023) support internal automation rather than external AI differentiation.

The business operates on a hybrid revenue model combining recurring annual data subscriptions, technology platform access (via direct portal, API, SSO, and white-labeling), usage-based on-demand reports, and professional services including benchmarking and consulting. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but spans one-time reports, location route subscriptions with quarterly updates, and annual enterprise subscriptions. Customer segments are dominated by multinational corporations with international assignee populations, with vertical-specific offerings across pharmaceuticals, oil & gas, high-tech, defense, and other industries, and emerging use cases in remote/distributed workforce compensation and domestic mobility.

Name

AIRINC

Legal name

AIRINC Associates for International Research, Inc.

Website

https://air-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AIRINC provides proprietary global mobility data, compensation calculators, and consulting services covering 2,500+ locations in 190+ countries, serving multinational corporations managing international and domestic employee assignments and relocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription Data Services: Annual subscriptions for COLA data, housing budgets, tax guides, and other allowance data. Clients can subscribe to a set of data on an annual basis or order data instantly online as needed.
2. Technology Platform Access: Access to AIRLinc platform, calculators, and online tools. Available via direct web portal, API connections, SSO, and white-labeling for partners.
3. Individual Calculations and Reports: One-time report purchases for individual calculations or location route subscriptions for unlimited calculations. Location Route Subscription includes quarterly allowance updates for one year.
4. Professional Services: Advisory services including mobility strategy, benchmarking, mobility function design, cost impact analysis, RFP support, program optimization, policy writing, and decision guides.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AIRINC provides proprietary global mobility data, technology, and consulting services to help multinational employers design, cost, and manage international and domestic employee assignment compensation packages. Its core products include the AIRLinc web platform, the Navi decision-making platform, specialized calculators for cost estimation, COLA, housing, tax, hardship, and salary comparison, and professional advisory services covering mobility strategy, benchmarking, and policy design. Data coverage spans 2,500+ locations across 190+ countries, with delivery through subscriptions, on-demand reports, APIs, SSO, and white-labeled channels.

Product overview

AIRINC offers a comprehensive global mobility management platform called AIRLinc that consolidates data, technology, and consulting services for managing international and domestic employee relocations. The core platform includes Navi (launched 2025), AIRINC's first Mobility solution designed specifically to help users make good Mobility decisions from Day One, along with specialized calculators and reporting tools. Key products include the Assignment Cost Estimator (ACE) for instant cost projections, AIMS for interactive decision guides, the International Assignment Calculator for compensation reports, International Tax Guide covering 280+ jurisdictions, Global Salary Comparison for 1,300+ cities, and Short-Term Allowance Calculator for per diems. Allowances products cover COLA, Housing, Hardship Premium, Airfare, Education, Transportation, Furnishing, and Driving Reimbursement. The company also provides benchmarking services, consulting, the Global 150 Cities Index, Data Points quarterly research, and the Mobility Outlook Survey. AIRINC leverages over 70 years of expertise with data covering 2,500+ locations in 190+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AIRLinc Platform AIRINC's central web-based mobility management portal that consolidates Navi and configurable technology tools and calculators for planning, automated reporting, real-time insights, cost determination, policy selection, and salary assessment; accessible via direct web, API, SSO, and white-labeling for enterprise clients.
• Navi A technology platform designed to help mobility teams make good Mobility decisions from Day One, integrating AIRINC's data with scenario planning, cost estimates, auto-populated offer letters, balance sheet generation, and program metrics visibility; targeted at Global Mobility and HR teams managing assignees.
• Assignment Cost Estimator (ACE) Online cost estimating tool that consolidates income tax rates, taxability logic, relocation allowances, support costs, and policy configuration into one application to deliver instant cost projections for 565+ cities across 165 countries; covers home-based long-term assignments, one-way transfers, host-plus arrangements, short-term assignments, and commuter assignments.
• AIMS - Mobility Decision Guide Interactive decision guide that connects company-specific mobility program information with AIRINC's calculators, cost projections, and tax data to provide real-time, tailored mobility recommendations for companies and employees evaluating assignment options.
• International Assignment Calculator (IAC) On-demand technology platform for creating and managing international assignment allowance reports covering COLA, housing, tax, hardship, and transportation allowances based on employee salary and family size, with configurable subsidy levels and company-specific report creation.
• International Tax Guide Provides statistical income tax and social tax models for 280+ countries and tax jurisdictions, with fast access to hypothetical or gross-up tax calculations in individual reports or tables and integration via API connections and batch reporting.
• Short-Term Allowance Calculator Calculator for per diems covering meals, transportation, accommodation, personal care, and recreation across 2,400+ locations worldwide, supporting business travelers, short-term assignments, and commuter arrangements with configurable profiles.
• Lump Sum Calculator Calculator for creating custom lump sum payments for domestic and international relocations covering airfare, meals, transportation, accommodation, and shipping costs, simplifying program administration and delivering employee flexibility.
• Global Salary Comparison (GSC) Tool for evaluating salaries across 1,300+ global cities based on income tax and living cost differences, providing net-to-net, gross-to-gross, and transition comparisons for permanent relocations, international transfers, localizations, and host-based assignments.
• International Housing Guide (IHG) Online access to housing and utilities budgets tailored to client needs, illustrating housing options at different budget levels and providing rental costs by housing type and location, lease information, furnishings, utilities, and expatriate residential area data.
• Remote Work Salary Calculator Calculator for assessing the impact on salary and purchasing power when employees work remotely in different cities, using AIRINC's data on cost of goods and services, housing, and tax for 30 world cities.
• Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) Allowance data product that adjusts for differences in goods and services costs between two locations using AIRINC's proprietary methodology; available for 100+ home countries and 1,000+ host cities, also known as Goods and Services Differential or Cost of Living Index.
• Housing Allowances At-the-ready housing budgets by job level and family size based on continuous surveys and benchmarks, supporting various assignment types with configurable subsidy levels, job level configurations, and update schedules.
• Hardship Premium Location premium to incentivize assignees to work in more challenging locations, with objective evaluations covering 2,500+ locations worldwide using a two-step process and a 0-100 point scoring system translated into hardship allowance percentages.
• Airfare Database Database providing airfare allowances and estimates for home leave, relocation, and repatriation, including carbon emissions data for flights; 10 to 20 individual fares collected quarterly per route.
• Education Reports Education data for 200+ world cities including tuition and fees for kindergarten, primary, and secondary levels, with schools displayed on a map and links to school websites; data collected by in-house research team and updated annually.
• Transportation Reports Reports providing common transportation costs in expatriate locations including Auto Capital Cost Reports and Vehicle Cost Analysis Reports (VCAR) covering both gas/petrol-powered cars and electric vehicles.
• Furnishing Rental & Allowance Reports Reports for renting or purchasing furnishings in host locations, with rental data sourced from CORT Global Network representing mid-range options suitable for international assignees, and allowance data covering furniture, appliances, kitchenware, and textiles costs.
• Global Driving Reimbursement Report Data product supporting global driving reimbursement policies by combining government rates from 80+ countries with cost-of-living rates, covering compact cars, mid-sized sedans, premium sedans, luxury sedans, SUVs, and electric vehicles.
• Inflation Impact Analysis Analysis tool providing curated local CPI for 200+ countries combined with income distribution data to help companies diagnose how inflation impacts employees' pay by geography or position on the income spectrum.
• Global Reward Index Calculator Calculator using cost of living index to adjust global reward values for remote work, wellness, fitness, small performance awards, cash, and bonus/stipend allowances across countries.
• Geographic Differential Index (GDI) Database of cost of living indexes by city for assessing geographic cost differences within salary structures, supporting streamlined review of geographically differentiated salary structures.
• Domestic Cost-of-Living Allowance (Domestic COLA) Calculator for domestic relocations within the U.S. and Canada that accounts for differences in home and host compensation, housing, goods and services, and tax, with configurable caps, minimum thresholds, and multi-year payout schedules.
• Benchmarking Services Policy scorecards, ESG scorecards, industry benchmarking, and custom benchmarking services providing data-backed information on market competitiveness for mobility programs, delivered in 2-3 weeks across industries including Apparel, Automotive, Defense, Engineering & Construction, High-Tech, Non-profit, Oil & Gas, Oil Field Services, and Pharmaceutical.
• Consulting Services Advisory services including mobility strategy, benchmarking, mobility function design, cost impact analysis, RFP support, program optimization, policy writing, and decision guides, delivered by dedicated AIRINC experts with regional support teams.
• Global 150 Cities Index Annual ranking of 150 cities worldwide combining lifestyle and financial factors to help evaluate where to live and work, providing overall, lifestyle, and financial rankings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients report 70% increased efficiency with data table feed API
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• CORT Global NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationAIRINC partnered with CORT Global Network to collect and curate the cost for rental furniture across the globe. This data is used for Furnishing Rental Reports and can be used for cost estimates or for employee benefits either as reimbursement or direct payments. CORT data represents mid-range options suitable for international assignees.
• Word TravelssupportingTechnology or IntegrationAIRLinc users can access Travel Guides from Word Travels, which include essential destination and travel information for more than 220 countries. The guides provide comprehensive travel and destination information to support mobility planning.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Cartus: Major global relocation services provider serving multinational corporations with domestic and international move management. Competes with AIRINC on the assignment lifecycle, though Cartus is more services-led and AIRINC is more data-led.
• SIRVA Worldwide Relocation & Moving: SIRVA is a global relocation services provider handling international moves, destination services, and policy administration. Competes with AIRINC across the assignment lifecycle, particularly for multinational corporate accounts.
• Weichert Workforce Mobility: Weichert Workforce Mobility (formerly Weichert Relocation Resources) provides corporate relocation management, policy consulting, and assignment support. Directly comparable to AIRINC's enterprise mobility customer base and consulting offerings.
• ERI Economic Research Institute: ERI provides salary, cost-of-living, and executive compensation data used by HR and mobility teams. Directly competes with AIRINC on relocation cost calculators, COLA datasets, and tax-aware compensation comparison.

Broad incumbents

• Aon: Aon's Human Capital practice includes global mobility consulting and assignment cost modeling. Competes with AIRINC at the enterprise tier, leveraging cross-sell from benefits, risk, and rewards engagements.
• Mercer: Global consulting leader with a substantial Mobility practice covering international assignment policy, compensation, and benchmarking. Overlaps with AIRINC on COLA, housing, and tax-equalization data, but competes from a much broader total-rewards platform.
• WTW (Willis Towers Watson): WTW offers global mobility services, international compensation data, and assignment management consulting. Competes with AIRINC across expatriate compensation benchmarking and mobility advisory, embedded in a much larger HR/risk/insurance platform.
• PwC People in Motion: PwC's Global Mobility practice within People & Organization advises on international assignment tax, policy, and program design. Overlaps with AIRINC's consulting and tax-equalization capabilities at the enterprise end of the market.
• KPMG Global Mobility Services: KPMG's Global Mobility practice advises on international assignment taxation, policy design, and cost optimization. Overlaps with AIRINC on the consulting and tax-equalization dimensions of expatriate compensation.

Emerging players

• Numbeo: Crowd-sourced cost-of-living and quality-of-life database used by HR and relocation teams as a free or low-cost alternative. Represents the bottom-up data model that could pressure traditional subscription pricing in AIRINC's COLA category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/airinc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyvf1WXJ1TLkv9-HZpwzUnA/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/airinc1954
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/airincsurveys/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AIRINC