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15 cities where earning $100,000 a year isn't nearly enough to live well
15 cities where earning $100,000 a year isn't nearly enough to live well
Liz KnuevenOct 1, 2019, 02:24 IST
Getty Images/Justin Sullivan
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In some US cities, a family will barely scrape by while earning $100,000 per year, according to GOBankingRates.
Of the cities that made the list, all but two - New York City and Arlington, Virginia- are on the west coast or in Hawaii.
The most expensive city isn't San Francisco - it's Sunnyvale, California, where GOBankingRates estimates a family will need over $200,000 to live comfortably.
In most of America, earning $100,000 a year could be considered a sign of success. But in many cities on the west coast, someone making $100,000 a year will just be scraping by.
New data from GOBankingRates looks at what a family needs to make in America's most expensive cites in order to live comfortably there. And, in these 15 cities, a household making $100,000 per year will be just barely scraping by.
All but two of the cities- New York City and Arlington, Virginia - are on the west coast and Hawaii. Most of the cities were in California, though Honolulu, Hawaii and Seattle, Washington also made the list.
GOBankingRates looked at costs of living from the 2018 second quarter Consumer Expenditure Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and adjusted the average annual expenditure by the cost of living index created by information database Sperling's Best Places. GOBankingRates also sourced average rent costs per month from Zillow, and information on annual costs of groceries, healthcare, utilities, transportation and more from Sperling.
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Here are the top 15 cities where $100,000 will hardly make ends meet, along with each city's annual cost of living from GOBankingRates and average rent costs per month.
In this city on the east side of the San Francisco Bay and south of Oakland, $100,000 won't go very far.
Annual cost of living: $112,933
Average rent price: $2,764
14. Arlington, Virginia
This suburb of Washington DC isn't exempt from the high costs of living there just because it's outside of the city.
Annual cost of living: $116,947
Average rent price: $2,239
13. Los Angeles, California
In Los Angeles, where rent prices near $2,700 per month, life is anything but cheap.
Annual cost of living: $118,650
Average rent price: $2,771
12. Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii is an urban oasis on a tropical island, but it's no vacation from high costs of living.
Annual cost of living: $122,298
Average rent price: $2,405
11. Oakland, California
Oakland isn't totally exempt from the insanely high costs across the San Francisco Bay. While it's still considerably cheaper than San Francisco itself, rent costs nearing $3,000 per month won't be very budget-friendly.
Annual cost of living: $122,359
Average rent price: $2,942
10. Seattle, Washington
Seattle is another west coast city where not only rent, but all the costs of living, aren't very affordable on $100,000 or less.
Annual cost of living: $124,062
Average rent price: $2,238
9. Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach ranks higher overall for living costs than its urban neighbor Los Angeles.
Annual cost of living: $125,461
Average rent price: $2,754
8. New York City, New York
New York is the second east coast city to make the list, requiring a salary of over $125,000 to live comfortably.
Annual cost of living: $127,285
Average rent price: $2,329
7. Irvine, California
Irvine residents have higher costs of living than the average Los Angeles resident.
Annual cost of living: $128,623
Average rent price: $2,903
6. Glendale, California
Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of urban Los Angeles, Glendale, California residents see higher costs of living than most LA residents.
Annual cost of living: $134,583
Average rent price: $2,699
5. Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington is just one bridge away from Seattle, but this city-like suburb is home to many tech companies and corporations, as well as residents with high salaries.
Annual cost of living: $140,908
Average rent price: $2,421
4. Fremont, California
Outside of San Jose, this California city is now home to tech companies and automaker Tesla, which has increased the cost of living here.
Annual cost of living: $154,409
Average rent price: $3,027
3. San Jose, California
Living isn't cheap in San Jose, and the average person will need about $160,000 per year to live comfortably.
Annual cost of living: $158,119
Average rent price: $3,142
2. San Francisco, California
San Francisco only ranks second on the list, but the average person will still need about $185,000 to live comfortably in this expensive city.
Annual cost of living: $185,303
Average rent price: $4,272
1. Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale, California beats out San Francisco to become the most expensive city, and the most inaccessible to workers making under $100,000 per year. Here, it will cost over $200,000 per year to live comfortably.
