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The 25 best places to live if you want to save a lot of money

May 10, 2018, 16:27 IST

f11photo/Shutterstock

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  • How much money you need to save depends on where you live.
  • Bankrate.com recently released a report detailing the best places to save for a six-month emergency fund in the US's top 50 metro areas.
  • San Jose, California, was the hardest place to save money for emergencies, while Kansas City, Missouri, was the easiest.

Americans' savings habits just aren't cutting it.

The average American socks away 3.5% of their income every month, well below the standard recommendation to save 10% to 15%. That's leaving Americans with a median savings account balance of $5,200.

Added to injury is the fact that 63% of Americans don't have sufficient emergency savings, a statistic made all the more shocking considering the general rule of thumb for an adequate emergency fund is to have six months of expenses at the ready.

While there are certain steps you can take to cut back on everyday expenses and save more money, your savings account might be better off depending on the metro area you live in.

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A new report by Bankrate.com revealed the best places to save money for a six-month emergency savings fund across the US's top 50 metro areas. They calculated the total monthly cost of living expenses (including mortgage payments, groceries, bills, insurance, taxes, credit card payments, and more) for a typical family of four in each metro area. They multiplied those expenses by six to get the amount of savings the family would need in an emergency fund (enough to cover six months of living).

Bankrate.com then calculated how much money the family could potentially save every year by deducting one year's worth of those expenses from the median take-home pay for each metro area.

The final ranking was determined by how much of a recommended six-month emergency fund the typical family would be able to save, displayed as a percent. For example, in Memphis, Tennessee, the typical family has the potential to save 56% of their emergency fund goal in one year based on how much money the household earns and spends.

While emergency savings funds fare better in some places than others, the final numbers shed light on yet another American money woe - it's hard, if not impossible, to save for an emergency fund in just one year. Even in the easiest metro area to save money - Kansas City, Missouri - the typical family only has the potential to save 63% of their emergency fund goal in just one year.

We narrowed down the list to the 25 best places to live to save money. Scroll through below to see which metro areas made the cut, ranked from hardest places to save to easiest.

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25. Salt Lake City, Utah

Median take-home pay: $56,776

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,674

Annual savings potential: $6,271

Six-month emergency fund savings: $25,252.56

Percent funded after one year of saving: 25%

24. Hartford, Connecticut

Median take-home pay: $59,192

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,158

Annual savings potential: $6,913

Six-month emergency fund savings: $26,139.36

Percent funded after one year of saving: 26%

22. Charlotte, North Carolina

Median take-home pay: $46,700

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,045

Annual savings potential: $5,538

Six-month emergency fund savings: $20,580.96

Percent funded after one year of saving: 27%

23. Houston, Texas

Median take-home pay: $54,271

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,142

Annual savings potential: $6,774

Six-month emergency fund savings: $23,748.48

Percent funded after one year of saving: 29%

21. Dallas, Texas

Median take-home pay: $56,044

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,199

Annual savings potential: $7,343

Six-month emergency fund savings: $24,350.64

Percent funded after one year of saving: 30%

19. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Median take-home pay: $57,979

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,259

Annual savings potential: $8,247

Six-month emergency fund savings: $24,865.80

Percent funded after one year of saving: 33%

20. Jacksonville, Florida

Median take-home pay: $49,459

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,015

Annual savings potential: $7,093

Six-month emergency fund savings: $21,182.88

Percent funded after one year of saving: 33%

17. Cleveland, Ohio

Median take-home pay: $43,904

Mortgage payment + interest: $727

Annual savings potential: $6,435

Six-month emergency fund savings: $18,734.34

Percent funded after one year of saving: 34%

18. San Antonio, Texas

Median take-home pay: $49,144

Mortgage payment + interest: $963

Annual savings potential: $7,225

Six-month emergency fund savings: $20,959.32

Percent funded after one year of saving: 34%

16. Richmond, Virginia

Median take-home pay: $51,135

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,066

Annual savings potential: $8,045

Six-month emergency fund savings: $21,544.86

Percent funded after one year of saving: 37%

13. Detroit, Michigan

Median take-home pay: $45,629

Mortgage payment + interest: $741

Annual savings potential: $7,408

Six-month emergency fund savings: $19,110.36

Percent funded after one year of saving: 39%

14. Nashville, Tennessee

Median take-home pay: $51,718

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,210

Annual savings potential: $8,557

Six-month emergency fund savings: $21,580.74

Percent funded after one year of saving: 40%

11. Louisville, Kentucky

Median take-home pay: $44,404

Mortgage payment + interest: $810

Annual savings potential: $7,600

Six-month emergency fund savings: $18,402.24

Percent funded after one year of saving: 41%

12. Atlanta, Georgia

Median take-home pay: $51,902

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,047

Annual savings potential: $8,942

Six-month emergency fund savings: $21,480

Percent funded after one year of saving: 42%

15. Washington DC

Median take-home pay: $78,893

Mortgage payment + interest: $2,152

Annual savings potential: $13,636

Six-month emergency fund savings: $32,628.72

Percent funded after one year of saving: 42%

10. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Median take-home pay: $44,192

Mortgage payment + interest: $715

Annual savings potential: $7,787

Six-month emergency fund savings: $18,202.62

Percent funded after one year of saving: 43%

9, Raleigh, North Carolina

Median take-home pay: $58,318

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,267

Annual savings potential: $10,675

Six-month emergency fund savings: $23,821.50

Percent funded after one year of saving: 45%

8. Indianapolis, Indiana

Median take-home pay: $45,911

Mortgage payment + interest: $803

Annual savings potential: $8,789

Six-month emergency fund savings: $18.561.06

Percent funded after one year of saving: 47%

7. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Median take-home pay: $45,864

Mortgage payment + interest: $652

Annual savings potential: $8,894

Six-month emergency fund savings: $18,484.98

Percent funded after one year of saving: 48%

6. Baltimore, Maryland

Median take-home pay: $64,296

Mortgage payment + interest: $1,334

Annual savings potential: $13,127

Six-month emergency fund savings: $25,584.42

Percent funded after one year of saving: 51%

4. St. Louis, Missouri

Median take-home pay: $49,193

Mortgage payment + interest: $827

Annual savings potential: $10,054

Six-month emergency fund savings: $19,569.54

Percent funded after one year of saving: 51%

5. Columbus, Ohio

Median take-home pay: $50,940

Mortgage payment + interest: $919

Annual savings potential: $10,431

Six-month emergency fund savings: $20,254.68

Percent funded after one year of saving: 52%

3. Memphis, Tennessee

Median take-home pay: $42,623

Mortgage payment + interest: $676

Annual savings potential: $9,348

Six-month emergency fund savings: $16,637.58

Percent funded after one year of saving: 56%

2. Cincinnati, Ohio

Median take-home pay: $51,026

Mortgage payment + interest: $849

Annual savings potential: $11,231

Six-month emergency fund savings: $19,897.38

Percent funded after one year of saving: 56%

1. Kansas City, Missouri

Median take-home pay: $51,078

Mortgage payment + interest: $809

Annual savings potential: $12,191

Six-month emergency fund savings: $19,443.42

Percent funded after one year of saving: 63%

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