The Best Place To Live on a $100,000 Salary in Every State

Making six figures? Consider living in one of these fine places.

By Jami Farkas Aug 22, 2022 Real Estate Investing 101

America is nothing if not diverse. There are plenty of cities where you can afford to live comfortably, or even be “rich,” for less than $100,000. Which location draws your interest could depend on a number of factors, ranging from those that are up-and-coming cities to those that are the best cities to raise a family. Overall, the best cities to live in generally have high livability scores and affordable costs so that you can take home more of your salary.

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GOBankingRates analyzed data from a number of sources, ranging from AreaVibes to Sperling’s Best Places and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to compile this list of the best places to live on a $100,000 salary in each state.

Factors assessed included median incomes, affordability, amenities, and quality of life. This list may draw attention to locations that don’t appear on all of the typical “best places” lists but just might be some of the best cities in America.

Building Wealth

Alabama: Madison

Livability score: 89
Median income: $94,214
Total annual necessities cost: $39,946

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Alaska: College

Livability score: 68
Median income: $69,724
Total annual necessities cost: $46,189

Arizona: Gilbert

Livability score: 87
Median income: $99,154
Total annual necessities cost: $49,065

Arkansas: Centerton

Livability score: 81
Median income: $85,531
Total annual necessities cost: $35,621

California: Laguna Woods

Livability score: 82
Median income: $46,449
Total annual necessities cost: $52,539

Colorado: Loveland

Livability score: 83
Median income: $72,515
Total annual necessities cost: $48,530

Connecticut: Simsbury Center

Livability score: 85
Median income: $109,245
Total annual necessities cost: $48,644

Delaware: Pike Creek

Livability score: 87
Median income: $121,750
Total annual necessities cost: $48,918

Florida: Fleming Island

Livability score: 91
Median income: $101,685
Total annual necessities cost: $46,199

Georgia: Peachtree City

Livability score: 90
Median income: $100,768
Total annual necessities cost: $49,673

Hawaii: Waikele

Livability score: 73
Median income: $103,389
Total annual necessities cost: $71,602

Idaho: Chubbuck

Livability score: 85
Median income: $61,442
Total annual necessities cost: $38,808

Illinois: Columbia

Livability score: 88
Median income: $107,500
Total annual necessities cost: $39,515

Indiana: Brownsburg

Livability score: 89
Median income: $89,089
Total annual necessities cost: $38,067

Iowa: Ankeny

Livability score: 97
Median income: $89,484
Total annual necessities cost: $40,968

Kansas: Prairie Village

Livability score: 94
Median income: $88,196
Total annual necessities cost: $46,690

Kentucky: Fort Thomas

Livability score: 95
Median income: $80,549
Total annual necessities cost: $39,364

Louisiana: Fort Polk South

Livability score: 90
Median income: $50,878
Total annual necessities cost: $29,438

Maine: Kennebunk

Livability score: 83
Median income: $81,354
Total annual necessities cost: $48,177

Maryland: Hampstead

Livability score: 81
Median income: $75,392
Total annual necessities cost: $45,195

Massachusetts: Hudson

Livability score: 80
Median income: $87,959
Total annual necessities cost: $51,723

Michigan: Berkley

Livability score: 95
Median income: $93,038
Total annual necessities cost: $40,623

Minnesota: Champlin

Livability score: 92
Median income: $96,469
Total annual necessities cost: $42,692

Mississippi: Petal

Livability score: 86
Median income: $57,565
Total annual necessities cost: $34,969

Missouri: Ballwin

Livability score: 93
Median income: $97,174
Total annual necessities cost: $43,364

Montana: Glendive

Livability score: 83
Median income: $47,541
Total annual necessities cost: $35,234

Nebraska: Papillion

Livability score: 93
Median income: $90,000
Total annual necessities cost: $43,538

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Nevada: Henderson

Livability score: 84
Median income: $75,430
Total annual necessities cost: $49,347

New Hampshire: South Hooksett

Livability score: 87
Median income: $78,733
Total annual necessities cost: $43,931

New Jersey: Greentree

Livability score: 87
Median income: $130,063
Total annual necessities cost: $45,849

New Mexico: White Rock

Livability score: 84
Median income: $128,723
Total annual necessities cost: $43,342

New York: West Elmira

Livability score: 89
Median income: $76,784
Total annual necessities cost: $32,491

North Carolina: Holly Springs

Livability score: 89
Median income: $110,758
Total annual necessities cost: $45,677

North Dakota: West Fargo

Livability score: 91
Median income: $87,674
Total annual necessities cost: $39,098

Ohio: Worthington

Livability score: 97
Median income: $105,373
Total annual necessities cost: $46,301

Oklahoma: Edmond

Livability score: 88
Median income: $84,223
Total annual necessities cost: $42,024

Oregon: La Grande

Livability score: 79
Median income: $45,573
Total annual necessities cost: $35,313

Pennsylvania: Dormont

Livability score: 92
Median income: $57,279
Total annual necessities cost: $34,812

Rhode Island: Cumberland Hill

Livability score: 81
Median income: $94,773
Total annual necessities cost: $46,211

South Carolina: Mauldin

Livability score: 86
Median income: $67,902
Total annual necessities cost: $36,085

South Dakota: Brandon

Livability score: 92
Median income: $93,536
Total annual necessities cost: $39,976

Tennessee: Collierville

Livability score: 88
Median income: $117,327
Total annual necessities cost: $48,045

Texas: Taylor Lake Village

Livability score: 96
Median income: $130,735
Total annual necessities cost: $46,591

Utah: South Ogden

Livability score: 87
Median income: $70,552
Total annual necessities cost: $42,297

Vermont: Essex Junction

Livability score: 79
Median income: $76,845
Total annual necessities cost: $46,977

Virginia: Manchester

Livability score: 90
Median income: $63,947
Total annual necessities cost: $37,352

Washington: Liberty Lake

Livability score: 86
Median income: $96,051
Total annual necessities cost: $49,167

West Virginia: Teays Valley

Livability score: 87
Median income: $88,865
Total annual necessities cost: $37,043

Wisconsin: De Pere

Livability score: 91
Median income: $73,972
Total annual necessities cost: $39,179

Wyoming: Worland

Livability score: 85
Median income: $54,928
Total annual necessities cost: $37,262

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John Csiszar and Andrew Lisa contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: To find the best place to live on a $100,000 salary in every state, GOBankingRates looked at the five cities in every state with the highest livability score from AreaVibes. In addition to each city’s (1) livability score, GOBankingRates also found (2) the median household income in every city according to the Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey and (3) the total annual cost of necessities for households with an annual income of $100,000 in each city, calculated by referencing the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s 2020 Consumer Expenditure Survey data on spending habits for consumers in the $100,000 to $149,999 income bracket and projecting annual spending in six necessity categories in every city using Sperling’s Best Places’ city-level cost of living index data. The six neccesity categories considered include housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare, transportation, and miscellaneous spending. Cities where annual necessity spending exceeded $50,000 were then removed from consideration, in order to ensure all cities in the final ranking would be affordable for those with a $100,000 salary following the 50/30/20 rule, which dictates that no more than 50% of income should be allocated to necessities. All remaining cities were then ranked against the others in their state on factors 1-3, with high livability scores, high median household income, and low cost of necessities being scored more favorably, and the highest-scoring city in each state was identified as the best place to live on a $100,000 salary. AreaVibes’ livability scores take into consideration a variety of quality of life indicators, such as crime rates, school qulaity, employment, amenities, and more. Due to the high cost of living in the following states, consideration was expanded beyond the top five most livable cities: California, Colorado, Hawii, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Oregon. For California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts, since cost of living is so high the 50/30/20 rule was lightened. All data was collected on and up to date as of August 16, 2022.

Photo disclaimer: Photos are for illustrative purposes only. In many cases, the closest major city outside of the city/county mentioned it the article was used.

About the Author

Jami Farkas

Jami Farkas holds a communications degree from California State University, Fullerton, and has worked as a reporter or editor at daily newspapers in all four corners of the United States. She brings to GOBankingRates experience as a sports editor, business editor, religion editor, digital editor — and more. With a passion for real estate, she passed the real estate licensing exam in her state and is still weighing whether to take the plunge into selling homes — or just writing about selling homes.