Signing a contract for a six-figure contract used to allow Americans to feel as though they had made it. But now, $100,000 salary only goes so far — and its worth varies from city to city.
Across major U.S. cities, $100,000 can be worth as much as $86,444 and as little as $35,791, a recent SmartAsset study finds. The study compares the value of $100,000 across 76 major U.S. cities, accounting for cities’ income taxes and cost of living.
Cities in the South, from Tennessee to Texas, dominated the top 10 cities where $100,000 goes the furthest. In Memphis, Tennessee, Americans can expect a $100,000 salary to offer a take-home value of $86,444.
On the other hand, in cities like San Francisco and New York, $100,000 does not go nearly as far. In SF, a $100,000 salary is worth only $36,445; in the Big Apple, it’s worth just $35,791.
As inflation continues to affect consumers, here are the 10 U.S. cities where a $100,000 salary goes the furthest:
- Memphis, Tennessee: $86,444
- El Paso, Texas: $84,966
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: $84,948
- Corpus Christi, Texas: $83,443
- Lubbock, Texas: $83,350
- Houston, Texas: $81,350
- San Antonio, Texas: $80,124
- Fort Worth, Texas: $80,124
- Arlington, Texas: $80,124
- St. Louis, Missouri: $79,921
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To determine how much $100,000 is worth in the 76 largest U.S. cities, SmartAsset used its paycheck calculator to calculate take-home pay after taking into account local, state, and federal taxes.
That amount was then adjusted to reflect the cost of living — including housing, groceries, utilities and other goods and services — in each U.S. city, using data from the Council for Community and Economic Research.
