12 Best East Coast Cities for High Salaries and Low Cost of Living

If you’re chasing both earning power and affordability in East Coast states, a few cities rise above the rest.

A new MoneyLion study offers a list of options based on factors including median household income, home values, cost-of-living data and mortgage estimates. By weighting income more heavily than expenses, the ranking highlighted places residents don’t just earn more, but keep more of what they earn.

Here’s MoneyLion’s top 12 list of East Coast contenders, along with key figures for each city:

• Median household income: $140,480
• Average home value: $283,930
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,563
• Annual cost of living: $45,000

• Median household income: $120,685
• Average home value: $352,544
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,941
• Annual cost of living: $47,591

• Median household income: $90,132
• Average home value: $256,686
• Average monthly mortgage: $1,413
• Annual cost of living: $40,195

• Median household income: $125,404
• Average home value: $490,329
• Average monthly mortgage: $2,700
• Annual cost of living: $55,945

• Median household income: $126,767
• Average home value: $401,660
• Average monthly mortgage: $2,212
• Annual cost of living: $51,127

• Median household income: $147,250
• Average home value: $509,172
• Average monthly mortgage: $2,804
• Annual cost of living: $58,695

• Median household income: $138,442
• Average home value: $594,808
• Average monthly mortgage: $3,275
• Annual cost of living: $63,100

• Median household income: $168,091
• Average home value: $723,019
• Average monthly mortgage: $3,981
• Annual cost of living: $72,650

• Median household income: $132,435
• Average home value: $575,240
• Average monthly mortgage: $3,167
• Annual cost of living: $61,932

• Median household income: $130,627
• Average home value: $517,244
• Average monthly mortgage: $2,848
• Annual cost of living: $58,642

• Median household income: $135,412
• Average home value: $495,415
• Average monthly mortgage: $2,728
• Annual cost of living: $57,936

• Median household income: $178,641
• Average home value: $656,590
• Average monthly mortgage: $3,615
• Annual cost of living: $71,427

Photo disclaimer: Images are for representational purposes only and may not depict exact locations listed.

Methodology: For this study, MoneyLion analyzed cities across the United States to identify the best places that combine high salaries with a low cost of living. MoneyLion first identified cities with at least 20,000 residents and median household incomes above the national average of $81,604, based on the U.S. Census 2023 five-year ACS. Additional demographic data, including the population age 65 and older and total households, also came from the ACS. To ensure affordability, single-family home values were sourced from the Zillow Home Value Index, and any city with a typical home price of $1 million or more was excluded. Cost-of-living indexes from Sperling’s BestPlaces were paired with national average expenditure data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey to estimate local spending levels. Average mortgage payments were calculated using a 10% down payment and the national 30??’year fixed mortgage rate from Federal Reserve Economic Data. These mortgage and expenditure estimates were combined to determine each city’s total cost of living, and a livability index from AreaVibes was included as supplemental context. For scoring, average mortgage cost and average expenditure cost were each weighted at 1.00, and median household income was weighted at 1.30. The resulting scores were summed and ranked to highlight cities offering strong incomes relative to living costs. All data reflects conditions as of December 19, 2025.